SC Freiburg: All You Need to Know About Villa's Europa League Final Foe

Aston Villa are through to the Europa League final, their first in continental competition since 1982. A comprehensive 4-0 victory over Nottingham Forest overturned a single-goal first-leg deficit and sent Villa to Istanbul later this month. They now stand on the brink of a first piece of silverware in 30 years, but German outfit SC Freiburg might have something to say about that. Here is what you need to know about a team dubbed the Breisgau-Brazilians.

Where are they from?

The city of Freiburg im Breisgau is nestled in the southwest corner of Germany, not far from the French and Swiss borders and an entry point to the Black Forest. It has a population of around 350,000, slightly larger than Nottingham.

A quick history lesson

Founded in 1904, they played largely regional football until reaching the second tier in 1979. They consolidated before kicking on to reach the Bundesliga for the first time in 1994 – and finished third in only their second season, reaching the 1996 UEFA Cup. It was then they were first dubbed the Breisgau-Brazilians due to their style of play. They bounced between the top two leagues for 20 years before going up in 2016 and staying up ever since. They have been 10th for the last couple of seasons, finished fifth in 2023, and are currently seventh. This is their seventh UEFA Cup/Europa League campaign.

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Who is their manager?

Julian Schuster is in his second season in charge, having been assistant to his long-standing predecessor Christian Streich. In his first season, Schuster nearly led Freiburg to Champions League qualification; in his second, he has them in the Europa League final. The 41-year-old was a midfielder for Stuttgart and then spent a decade playing for Freiburg, where he was captain for seven years under Streich.

Star players

Currently, former Italy international Vincenzo Grifo is the club's all-time leading scorer – and the Bundesliga's highest ever scoring Italian, albeit he was born in Germany to Italian parents. The left winger has 14 goals and nine assists in 50 appearances this season. Behind him is 33-year-old left back Christian Günter, who has been at Freiburg his entire career. He has won eight caps for Germany and made 467 appearances for his only club. Most famously, former Germany manager Joachim Löw played for them in the 1980s. More recently, Papiss Cisse, formerly of Newcastle United, was a key player for them.

How are they doing this season?

They are currently seventh in the table. They drew 1-1 at home to Wolfsburg last time out, and were beaten 4-0 at Borussia Dortmund before that. They are 14 points behind Hoffenheim in sixth with two games remaining and could finish as low as ninth.

What is their biggest achievement?

They have won four 2. Bundesliga titles and five promotions – but never a major trophy. The closest they came was as runners-up in the German Cup in 2022 when they lost to RB Leipzig. The last of their four promotions to the top flight came in 2016, and they have stayed there ever since. Their highest finish is third. Reaching the Europa League final this season is comfortably their biggest ever achievement.