Our opponents this week in the final group stage match of the UEFA Europa League are certainly formidable. The situation ahead of our tie against Aston Villa is clear – we have to win! But who exactly are we facing at Villa Park on Thursday? We've taken a closer look at our opponents.

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Aston Villa are no ordinary club - rather a real institution in the homeland of football. Founded in 1874, the Villans were later among the founding members of today's Premier League. Their trophy cabinet boasts an impressive seven English league titles. The greatest moment in the club's history dates back almost 40 years: in 1982, the team from the industrial city of Birmingham (which will be familiar to fans of the TV series Peaky Blinders) became European champions! In the final of the European Cup (the predecessor to the UEFA Champions League), they defeated none other than Bayern Munich 1-0.

After some difficult years, the club are currently experiencing a real resurgence. Last season, they reached the quarter-finals of the UEFA Champions League, where they were eliminated by eventual winners PSG in a close match, and the Villans are also impressing this season. In the Premier League, the side captained by John McGinn are in third place, just four points behind league leaders Arsenal, and in the UEFA Europa League, they are currently in second place and have already secured their place in the round of 16.

On the sidelines, Unai Emery is pulling the strings as a man who can truly be described as a Europa League whisperer. The Spaniard has already won the trophy four times (three times with Sevilla, once with Villarreal). On his way to the 2021 title with Villarreal, his side narrowly eliminated us in the knockout stages. So there's still a score to settle!

The English side's squad reads like a "Who's Who" of modern football. In goal is Emiliano Martinez, a reigning World Cup winner and two-time World Goalkeeper of the Year. The attack is packed with stars like Morgan Rogers and former Dortmund player Jadon Sancho. And Villa's scouts also seem to have their eye on the ADMIRAL Bundesliga, as they've already secured top talent Modou Cisse (from LASK) for the summer of 2026.

525 Million Euro market value at Aston Villa

The match will be played on Thursday at Villa Park, one of England's most historic stadiums. Football has been played here since 1897. Even though the grouund has been regularly modernised, it has retained its 'old school' character and is likely familiar to John Mellberg – even though he unfortunately has to watch from the sidelines due to injury. Olof Mellberg, father of our young Swedish defender, was captain of Aston Villa for many years!

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A World Cup winner in goal, a successful coach on the sidelines, a football temple as a backdrop, and we need a win to advance. We are facing a tough task this Thursday at 21:00 CET. However, our form in recent weeks gives us a positive feeling to take to the West Midlands. After all, our Red Bulls have a history of causing a stir as underdogs.

Our chances of making the next round

It's clear that we need three points – but what about the other matches? For us to make it into the top 24 and continue our international run in the spring, other results on Matchday 8 would also need to go our way.

We've summarised all the details for the final Europa League matchday, our potential rivals in the standings, and the exact scenarios for advancing here:

read now!

Opposition analyis: Aston Villa under the microscope