Aston Villa head coach Unai Emery, who has won the Europa League four times in his career, stressed the importance of showing respect to opponents. Emery stated, "If you don't show the respect that's due to your opponent, you get closer to defeat."

The UEFA Europa League final will see the English team Aston Villa facing German club Freiburg at Istanbul's Besiktas Park. Emery spoke at a press conference ahead of the final.

Emery, who has experienced finals many times but will be playing his first with Aston Villa, said, "The most important thing is experience. Experience is important, but we are here for the first time with Aston Villa. We played the semi-final three years ago. This year, we are in the final. We've played enough games at the European level. We have learned our way here. Of course, tomorrow tactics and individual dimensions will come into play. The emotional aspect is there too. This is a new challenge. We have full confidence in ourselves, but tomorrow we will be here against Freiburg."

Emery also addressed the pressure, stating, "We need to see the pressure as a positive thing." He added, "We've played many games, experienced many emotional moments. Pressure will be there. We need to see it as a positive thing. John McGinn and Emiliano Martinez are very experienced players. We are here as Aston Villa, and our fans will be here. We will enter the field knowing how difficult it will be. We will play reflecting our character on the field."

Asked about the similarities between Petr Cech and Emiliano Martinez, Emery said, "Cech is a great player. As an individual and professionally, it's impossible to say anything negative about him. We made it to the final but lost. We are under the Aston Villa roof with Emiliano, and we have worked together at Arsenal. I know how driven he is."

Regarding Lucas Digne's performance, Emery commented, "He is a very high-level professional. He shows this every day. He is competitive and of a high level. He has played such matches before. He has played for many teams and has gained experience. He wasn't at his previous level when he came here, but he is working hard to get back to it. He has been called up to the national team. We need a high-level mentality, and this is what he has."

Emery also reflected on the season, saying, "Everything can happen in a year. We started badly for various reasons, but the players' responses in difficult times were great. The players took control of the situation. We started to act mature and responsible at the right times. It's important to act mature and responsible throughout the season. Our priority was to maintain professionalism, and we did that. We guaranteed Premier League and Champions League participation, which is a significant advance. We tried to find solutions together in difficult times. The players helped me in this, and that's why we are here today. We gave the necessary responses and are here today. We achieved this together."

Emery concluded, "If you don't show respect to your opponent, you get closer to defeat."