Unai Emery makes Aston Villa team selection decision for Europa League final

Villa boss Unai Emery has kept faith with defender Victor Lindelof in a midfield role for Wednesday night’s Europa League final against SC Freiburg.

The Swede, a centre-back by trade, has shifted into midfield and fared well in recent weeks while covering for the injured Amadou Onana.

Onana returned to training this week and boss Emery said on Tuesday he would make a late call on the Belgian.

But Emery has kept faith in former Manchester United man Lindelof as part of the midfield two alongside the dependent Youri Tielemans.

Lindelof started for former club United in the 2020/21 Europa League final against Emery’s Villarreal as the Spanish club claimed success in a penalty shootout.

Villa are bidding for first continental success since the European Cup victory against Bayern Munich in 1982 and are roared on by an army of Villans in Istanbul.

Emery’s line-up means Villa are unchanged for the third game in a row and there are otherwise no surprise calls in the team news.

The goalkeeper and back four remains the same side that has served Villa so well in the run to the final.

Ollie Watkins hopes to continue his good form and leads the line, with skipper John McGinn - who hopes to hold the trophy aloft tonight - with Morgan Rogers and Emi Buendia in support.

See the Villa line-up in full below and follow tonight’s coverage on our Express & Star live stream.

Villa (4-2-3-1): Martinez; Cash, Konsa, Torres, Digne; Tielemans, Lindelof; McGinn (c), Rogers, Buendia; Watkins.

Subs: Bizot (gk), Wright (gk), Mings, Elliott, Garcia, Abraham, Sancho, Luiz, Maatsen, Onana, Bogarde, Bailey.