Aston Villa face Freiburg with the match at Besiktas’ Istanbul home, entering as favourites. Unai Emery dismisses claims that he is the “King of the Europa League,” saying the competition is a new opportunity and the start of a new era for the club. He emphasizes planning to build a team capable of playing for trophies and competing in Europe, pointing to Villa reaching the Europa League final as a major achievement. Villa already secured Champions League qualification through a Premier League win over Liverpool. Captain John McGinn stresses the remaining focus on beating Freiburg and bringing the trophy home, celebrating the club’s progress and European strength after 44 years without a European trophy.
"I am not the king of this competition. This is a new opportunity. I hope this is just the start of a new era for Aston Villa. "I've been planning and trying to implement my vision of Aston Villa playing for trophies, playing in Europe and of course, how we achieved it this year is really fantastic. This year, we are playing in the Europa League final, which is something fantastic. Now is the moment to enjoy with our supporters, the moment here, the final.""
"The prize for the winner of the Europa League is qualification for the Champions League but that is already in the bag for Villa following their Premier League win over Liverpool on Friday night. Captain John McGinn said: "We've enjoyed the build-up. Obviously, we had a successful game on Friday, which allowed us to secure Champions League football. We've enjoyed the last few days, but now the focus has to be on how we can beat Freiburg and take the trophy home.""
"I'm proud of where the club is now. I'm proud of everyone who has played a part in that, whether that's small or big. It's the result of hard work both on and off the pitch. But now we're here, on one of the biggest stages you can get, and trying to get a trophy for Aston Villa in Europe after 44 years, so I stand here with great pride in where the club is now. We're now a force in European football.""
Read at 101GREATGOALS.COM
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