Aston Villa channelling past as they seek to end trophy drought in Europa League final

[p]Unai Emery's side head to Istanbul with history in their sights in their [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/soccer/aston-villa-W00wmLO0/freiburg-fiEQZ7C7/?mid=IefockNE"]first major European final for 44 years[/a].[/p][p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/aston-villa/W00wmLO0/"]Villa[/a] famously defied the odds to shock [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/bayern-munich/nVp0wiqd/"]Bayern Munich[/a] in the 1982 European Cup final, thanks to Peter Withe's clinical finish.[/p][p]Looking to emulate Withe's celebrated moment, Villa striker [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/watkins-ollie/rHnOkDD8/"]Ollie Watkins[/a] said he would seek out footage of the winner against Bayern as he prepared to face German underdogs [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/freiburg/fiEQZ7C7/"]Freiburg[/a] at the Besiktas Stadium.[/p][p][b]"I haven't actually seen Withe's winner, but I'm going to. I'm going to look back at it in these next few days before the final as inspiration," [/b]Watkins said.[/p][p][b]"I think Peter is a legend. I've met him quite a few times. He came into the training ground last week to watch.[/b][/p][p][b]"It's amazing that he can do that and that we can have a legend around the place."[/b][/p][embed guid="9674e868-ddb3-47db-9956-2d1fa48ba525" url="https://x.com/i/status/2056699387384893671" social-type="twitter" /][p]The decades since Bayern were beaten on that golden evening in Rotterdam have not always been kind to Villa.[/p][p]They were twice relegated to the second tier, in 1987 and 2016, and have lost all four of their domestic final appearances since defeating [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/leeds/tUxUbLR2/"]Leeds[/a] to win the 1996 EFL Cup.[/p][p]But Villa have been revived by the astute Emery, reaching the Champions League quarter-finals last term and climbing to fourth in the Premier League with one game left this season.[/p][p]Their run to the final has earned the royal seal of approval from loyal Villa fan Prince William.[/p][p]William joined the ecstatic celebrations at Villa Park during the 4-0 semi-final second-leg rout of [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/nottingham/UsushcZr/"]Nottingham Forest[/a].[/p][p]Now Emery can cement his status as the king of the Europa League by winning the competition for a fifth time.[/p][p]The Spaniard is preparing for his sixth Europa League final after winning the competition three times with Sevilla and once with [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/villarreal/lUatW5jE/"]Villarreal[/a], as well as finishing as a runner-up with [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/arsenal/hA1Zm19f/"]Arsenal[/a] in 2019.[/p][h2]'A new level'[/h2][p]Emery's men travel to Turkey in a buoyant mood after sealing a place in next season's Champions League with a 4-2 win against [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/liverpool/lId4TMwf/"]Liverpool[/a] on Friday.[/p][p]In their first final since losing to [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/manchester-city/Wtn9Stg0/"]Manchester City[/a] in the 2020 EFL Cup showpiece, Villa will be firm favourites against first-time European finalists Freiburg, who are seventh in the Bundesliga.[/p][p][b]"Playing for a trophy, playing (at) the high level we are now, is bringing us a lot of very good moments," [/b]Emery said.[/p][p][b]"I'm feeling so comfortable in the level we are. For the supporters, try to understand we are moving forward (to) a new level. I can feel they are happy."[/b][/p][p]Emery has proved an inspired appointment since taking over in 2022, when Villa were languishing just three points above the relegation zone.[/p][embed guid="3e123ae6-e7cf-4fd6-928e-d00e3783bcaa" url="https://x.com/AVFCOfficial/status/2056378774615421209?s=20" social-type="twitter" /][p]Beaten by [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/olympiacos-piraeus/hnzvnHPS/"]Olympiacos[/a] in the semi-finals of the UEFA Conference League in 2023/2024, Emery has the club on the brink of shedding their tag as nearly men.[/p][p]The 54-year-old admitted that the painful 6-2 aggregate loss to the Greek side was a key moment in Villa's transformation into trophy contenders.[/p][p][b]"When we lost in the semi-final to Olympiacos, it was a process we needed to get to the moment we are in now,"[/b] he said.[/p][p][b]"Everything we are doing is going to plan. It makes sense because to be in Europe is (about) being consistent.[/b][/p][p][b]"Now the objective is to keep it going for a long time, keep the level as high as possible, with our standards and our ambition."[/b][/p][p]The meticulous Emery has been a perfect match for a club that carried the word 'Prepared' under the badge on their shirts for many years.[/p][p]Following in the footsteps of Tony Barton, the manager who masterminded their 1982 triumph, would ensure Emery is woven into Villa's history forever.[/p]