EUROPA League
Ajax Dangerous Youngster, Dolberg, Warns Man. U
As the clock ticks down to the kick off of Wednesday’s Europa Cup final match, Kasper Dolberg, who at 19 and could be the youngest player on the pitch is hoping to increase his goal haul when his Ajax Amsterdam faces Manchester United.
Sports Village Square gathered from UEFA that the player is very optimistic of a positive result that will turn a disappointment for Manchester United.
Ajax’s skipper, Davy Klaassen told Uefa.com about Dolberg’s first season in the squad. “I don’t think the plan was for him to become a regular so quickly.”
The 19-year-old Kasper Dolberg is the club’s six-goal UEFA Europa League top scorer. Klaassen, for one, is impressed by the Dolberg’s quiet efficiency: “He is very relaxed and doesn’t talk a lot, but when he’s in front of goal you know he’s going to score.”
Sports Village Square gathered that the stronger the opposition, the more efficient Ajax Amsterdam became as the Europa League progressed. Dolberg therefore informed uefa.com that he was looking forward to facing Manchester United.
“There are many reasons. We have a good team with good players. We have played very well. The better the teams we’ve faced, the better we’ve played.
“I’m proud to be part of that. It’s only my first year as a professional player, but it’s the biggest thing I’ve ever experienced in club football.”
On the clash with Manchester United he said: “They are a team with a lot of stars and many great players, but there have been times this season when they haven’t performed that well.
“They have a lot of stars and a lot of fantastic players, but if they are not at their best, that doesn’t matter. We play to win. I don’t think there is a reason for us to be afraid.
“We just have to go out there and do our best and we will see what happens. It would mean a lot for the club and the city to win it. You can really feel that; every time we play at home, it’s something special.
“You can just feel all the support we get, not only at the stadium but all over the city. It’s huge and it’s been a great experience. It’s hard to predict what’s going to happen next, but I’m sure it’s going to be great.
Four-times Europa League winner Unai Emery booked an astonishing sixth final in the competition as a manager on Thursday when his Aston Villa team swept aside Nottingham Forest in the second leg of their all-English semi-final.
The 54-year-old Spaniard has won three times with Sevilla (2014, 2015, 2016) and once with Villarreal (2021) – either side of a defeat with Arsenal (2019) – deservedly earning him the epithet “Mr Europa League” from some fans and media.
Now he goes to the 2026 final seeking a fifth title, this time with Aston Villa against Bundesliga side Freiburg.
“His track record speaks for itself,” said Villa striker Ollie Watkins, heaping praise on his boss as the man to guarantee Europa League success. “We need to go and win it now.”
Emery was delighted with how his team overturned a 1-0 deficit to Forest in the first leg of the Europa League semi-final to score four times at home and win 4-1 on aggregate.
“Now we have to look to the final,” he said, hoping that Villa will do “something fantastic” for their fans.
Though thrilled at Thursday’s win, Emery left the pitch quickly after the final whistle, pumping his fist a few times at the crowd before letting his players enjoy the moment with fans
He and his Villa side will be favourites at the Europa League final in Istanbul on May 20, but Emery was taking nothing for granted. “Of course German teams are so difficult, their coaches, their players are so good,” he added of the upcoming opponents.
-Reuters
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List of teams which have qualified for the next round of the Europa League after the league phase concluded on Thursday, ranked by table position:
Directly to the round of 16:
1. Olympique Lyonnais (France)
2. Aston Villa (England)
3. Midtjylland (Denmark)
4. Real Betis (Spain)
5. Porto (Portugal)
6. Braga (Portugal)
7. Freiburg (Germany)
8. AS Roma (Italy)
Knockout phase play-off places (seeded)
9. Genk (Belgium)
10. Bologna (Italy)
11. VfB Stuttgart (Germany)
12. Ferencvaros (Hungary)
13. Nottingham Forest (England)
14. Viktoria Plzen (Czech Republic)
15. Red Star Belgrade (Serbia)
16. Celta Vigo (Spain)
Knockout phase play-off places (unseeded)
17. PAOK (Greece)
18. Lille (France)
19. Fenerbahce (Turkey)
20. Panathinaikos (Greece)
21. Celtic (Scotland)
22. Ludogorets (Bulgaria)
23. Dinamo Zagreb (Croatia)
24. SK Brann (Norway)
-Reuters
UEFA Europa League – Aston Villa v RB Salzburg – Villa Park, Birmingham, Britain – January 29, 2026 Aston
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Israeli club Maccabi Tel Aviv will not accept any away fan tickets for their Europa League match at Aston Villa next month, even if local authorities reverse the decision to ban their supporters, they said on Monday.
The ban followed safety concerns raised by British Police, who cited potential protests outside Villa Park, following demonstrations at Israel’s recent World Cup qualifiers in Oslo and Udine.
“From hard lessons learned we have taken the decision to decline any allocation offered on behalf of away fans and our decision should be understood in that context,” Maccabi said in a statement.
“We hope that circumstances will change and look forward to being able to play in Birmingham in a sporting environment in the near future.”
Aston Villa announced the decision last week, saying they were following instructions from the Safety Advisory Group (SAG), who are responsible for issuing safety certificates for games at Villa Park.
West Midlands Police described the match as high risk, past incidents, including violent confrontations and hate crime offences involving Ajax and Maccabi Tel Aviv supporters ahead of a November 2024 game in Amsterdam.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar described the announcement as “shameful”.
Villa are third in the Europa League standings while Maccabi Tel Aviv are 30th after two rounds.
-Reuters
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