All you need to know about the Europa League final

Freiburg will face Aston Villa in this season's Europa League final following semi-final wins over Braga and Nottingham Forest respectively.

The final between the sides from Germany and England will take place on Wednesday, 20 May in Istanbul, Turkey, kicking off at 20:00 BST.

It is Villa's first major European final since winning the European Cup in 1982, while Freiburg have never been in a major continental showpiece of any kind before.

Here is everything you need to know ahead of the final.

Aston Villa boss Unai Emery is chasing what would be a record-extending fifth Europa League title

Aston Villa did not waste any time in getting their allocation of tickets on sale for the match. In fact, the sale process will be completed on Wednesday.

But most Villans hoping to get hold of a ticket will be left disappointed, with an allocation of 10,758 seats - and that includes disabled and easy access areas, and some with a restricted view.

That is less than a quarter of Villa Park's 42,640 capacity.

Season ticket holders who attended 12 or more Europa League matches - Villa have played 14 in total - got the first priority.

To be in the second priority window, fans needed to have been to at least eight European games.

Only these supporters were guaranteed a ticket and had to make their purchase by Tuesday.

A third priority window features a ballot system for the remaining tickets among those fans to have been to seven Europa League games. This period ends on Wednesday at 17:00 BST, when those are successful will be notified.

Freiburg will get the same allocation as Villa, while there will be 5,500 tickets on general sale, with the remaining 10,000 reserved for the local organising structure, Uefa's member national associations, commercial partners, broadcasters and the wider "Uefa football family".

The 42,684-capacity Tupras Stadium, situated in the Besiktas region of Istanbul, is home to Turkish Super Lig side Besiktas.

Known traditionally as the Besiktas Stadium, the ground opened in 2016 and has been the home of both Besiktas and some of Turkey's home international matches ever since.

The Ionu Stadium was on the site from 1947 until 2013, when it was demolished and rebuilt as the Besiktas Stadium.

Prior to its demolition, musicians Michael Jackson, Rihanna, Elton John and Madonna had all performed at the venue.

Stadiums for major European finals are selected by Uefa, with football associations and stadiums able to bid for their chance to host.

Aston Villa and Freiburg head into the Europa League final after strong - but very different - European campaigns.

For Freiburg, this is a landmark moment -and their first European final is the product of organisation, clarity and a well-drilled identity.

Their run has been efficient rather than spectacular: nine wins, 25 goals scored and 10 conceded, all built on a disciplined defensive shape. Set0pieces have been a major weapon too, with eight goals coming from dead-ball situations, while their shot numbers show a willingness to take risks going forward.

The trade-off is a lack of clinical edge. They have taken more shots than Villa but scored slightly fewer goals, leaving games more open than they might like.

Villa, by contrast, have looked controlled throughout the competition. Under Unai Emery - the "king of the Europa League" after four previous triumphs - they have won 12 matches, scoring 28 goals and conceding just eight.

Eight clean sheets underline their defensive strength, while nine set-piece goals show how effective they are in key moments.

This is Villa's first major European final since beating Bayern Munich to win the European Cup in 1982, and Emery's experience has been evident in how they manage matches.