Aston Villa secured their place in the Europa League final after beating Nottingham Forest in the semi-finals, meaning Victor Lindelof has a chance to win a trophy he missed out on twice with Manchester United.
Sweden international Victor Lindelof spent eight years at Manchester United before leaving Old Trafford at the end of last season.
Lindelof, 31, joined United from Benfica in 2017 and went on to make 285 appearances for the club.
Villa signed Lindelof as a free agent last summer, and he has helped Unai Emery’s side push for Champions League qualification.
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Victor Lindelof eager for Europa League success
Villa beat Nottingham Forest as Lindelof was among the standout performers.
The centre-back, who often played at full-back for United, was tasked by Emery to play in midfield before receiving a standing ovation following his 70-minute display in the memorable semi-final.
Bundesliga outfit Freiburg will stand in Villa’s way when they arrive in Istanbul later this month.
However, this means Lindelof can potentially win the Europa League with Emery, who stopped the Swede from doing so with United in 2021.
Lindelof featured for United as Villarreal won the final in Gdansk. The Spanish side won 11-10 on penalties. It will go down as one of the most disappointing nights in Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s reign as manager after he missed out on winning silverware.
Emery was the man responsible for Villarreal that night. He won one of his record four Europa League triumphs that night and will be looking for a fifth with Villa in Istanbul.
Lindelof was also an unused substitute when United lost the 2025 Europa League final against Tottenham.
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Victor Lindelof scored his penalty in 2021 Europa League final
United’s showdown with Villarreal ended in a penalty shootout.
The shootout consisted of 22 spot kicks taken by both teams, but David de Gea missed the final spot kick in sudden death.
That means Lindelof stood up and scored his penalty.
Emery may need to rely on his experienced Swedish defender to score from the spot kick against Freiburg in Istanbul.
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