A closer look at Unai Emery’s impressive Europa League record ahead of Freiburg vs. Aston Villa final

Unai Emery will lead his Aston Villa side out against Freiburg in the 2026 Europa League final at Tupras Stadium in Istanbul on Wednesday night.

After coming from behind to brush aside Nottingham Forest 4-1 on aggregate in the semi-finals, Villa are now bidding to claim their first major piece of silverware on the continent since their legendary 1982 European Cup triumph.

The West Midlands club travel to Turkey in high spirits having recently dismantled Liverpool 4-2 at Villa Park to seal a top-five finish in the Premier League and secure Champions League football for next season.

Success on Wednesday would not only mark Emery’s 600th career win as a manager, but it would also see the 54-year-old etch his name even further into Europa League folklore.

Here, Sports Mole takes a closer look at Emery’s Europa League managerial record.

Unai Emery has taken charge of 108 games in the Europa League as a manager with five different clubs: Valencia, Sevilla, Arsenal, Villarreal and now Aston Villa.

The Spaniard boasts an impressive 65.74% win ratio in the Europa League and holds the record for the most triumphs in the competition’s history, lifting the trophy four times.

Emery won his first three Europa League titles in successive years with Sevilla (2014, 2015 and 2016), before celebrating his most recent victory with fellow La Liga side Villarreal in 2021.

He has also tasted defeat in one Europa League final during his time with Arsenal, losing 4-1 to Chelsea in the 2019 showpiece. This is one of only two major finals Emery has ever lost across his 22-year managerial career – the other was with Valencia in the 2008 Supercopa de Espana (losing 6-2 on aggregate to Real Madrid).

During his time as Valencia boss, Emery took charge of his very first Europa League game back in September 2009, drawing 1-1 away against Lille in the group stage. He then celebrated his first win in the competition a month later, a 3-2 home success over Genoa.

Emery has managed a total of 43 matches in the Europa League’s group and league phases, winning 29, drawing 11, and losing just three. His teams have advanced to the knockouts in six out of six campaigns, while his other three knockout-round appearances have come via a drop-down from the Champions League.

© Iconsport / PA Images

At Valencia, Emery was unable to steer the club to Europa League glory. In 2009-10, his team won just four of their 12 matches (D7 L1) en route to a quarter-final elimination at the hands of Atletico Madrid, who also knocked Emery’s side out in the 2011-12 semi-finals.

After a brief stint with Spartak Moscow, Emery moved to Sevilla in January 2013 and led them to his first Europa League triumph the following season. His side navigated past Maribor, Real Betis, Porto, and former club Valencia before edging Benfica 4-2 on penalties in the final following a 0-0 draw.

Sevilla won 11 games out of 15 (D3 L1) en route to Europa League glory in 2014-15, beating Dnipro 3-2 in an entertaining showpiece. They then made it three tournament triumphs in a row in 2015-16, courtesy of a 3-1 victory over Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool in the final.

Three years later, Emery returned to the Europa League as Arsenal head coach and steered the Premier League side to 11 wins out of 14 before facing London rivals Chelsea in the final. Former Gunners striker Olivier Giroud was among the scorers for the Blues in a 4-1 win, preventing Emery from winning a fourth consecutive final in the competition.

The following season, Emery took charge of five group-stage games as Arsenal boss (W3 D1 L1) before he was sacked in November 2019. The Gunners still progressed to the knockout rounds but Mikel Arteta’s side were surprisingly eliminated in the Round of 32 by Olympiacos, drawing 2-2 on aggregate and exiting the competition via the away goals rule.

Emery’s one and only Europa League campaign with Villarreal was a historic success. His side went unbeaten throughout the 2020-21 season (W13 D2) to claim the club's first major trophy, famously beating Arsenal 2-1 on aggregate in the semi-finals before defeating Manchester United 11-10 on penalties in the final following a tense 1-1 draw.

In the 2025-26 Europa League, Emery has won 12 and lost two of his 14 matches in charge of Aston Villa. Seven wins out of eight were recorded in the League Phase to finish second in the 36-team table, before beating Lille, Bologna and Nottingham Forest in the knockout rounds to set up Wednesday’s final with Freiburg.

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