The Villans arrive in Istanbul hoping to lift their first trophy in 30 years when they take on the Bundesliga side on Wednesday night, live on TNT Sports and HBO Max, but in Martinez they have a player who is well versed when it comes to winning big finals.The Argentina goalkeeper has won four previous finals as a player, including the World Cup with his nation in 2022, and is looking to continue that record when he takes to the pitch at Besiktas Park.
Martinez’s experience of winning big games could be key for Villa and the 33-year-old, speaking exclusively to TNT Sports, said actions speak louder than words when it comes to motivating his team-mates who are playing in such a match for the first time.
”I think they’re professionals,” he said. “They know what they’re doing even if they didn’t play a final, they’ve played hundreds and hundreds of games.
”Obviously finals are different but I will show them or teach them on the pitch by being relaxed, by helping them in the air, by saving a one v one, lifting them if we concede a goal.
”That’s my strength, helping them on the pitch, and not words outside.”
Martinez’s first cup final success came with Arsenal in the 2020 FA Cup final before Copa America success in 2021, that World Cup win in 2022 and another Copa America in 2024.
On the eve of his latest shot at glory, Martinez claimed that he does not place too much importance on finals.
The stopper explained that his relaxed approach comes off the back of his family struggles as a child, giving him greater perspective when it comes to football.
”To be fair, every time I play a final, I don’t really think it’s a final,” he said. ”For me, I won in life by helping my family from poverty, I said it from day one.
”And finals are just a football game, you got the chance to lift a trophy, but it doesn’t define me as a player, as a person.
”It does for a football club, for the fans, so every time I go onto the pitch, I always remember where I come from, and I enjoy the day.”
Emery urges Villa players to ‘enjoy’
Like Martinez, Unai Emery is used to winning finals, having lifted the Europa League four times previously, making him the most successful head coach in the competition’s history.
In contrast, Villa’s last trophy came in 1996 when they won the League Cup, although they have performed well in Europe in recent years, with continued progress culminating in their showdown with Freiburg.
But while there will be a sense of pressure when the match kicks off, Emery has told his players to enjoy the experience and continue their progress.
”The first final,” he said. ”We’ve played in Europe three years in a row, we played a semi-final in Conference League against Olympiacos.
”We played last year the quarter-final in the Champions League against PSG and this year in the final.
”I think it’s one step forward more, getting better and this great moment is something we must try to enjoy because in football, we are professional but the emotions are very important and we have now our emotions high to try and to enjoy and feel something for Aston Villa.”
Emery is acutely aware of how important the match and, hopefully, victory will be for the club.
Villa lifted the European Cup in 1982 and the coach hopes his side can emulate the heroes of the past to write their own names in the history books.
”Aston Villa’s history is very fantastic,” he added. ”It’s a very huge, huge history in England, and Europe in 1982 with the European Cup, of course.
”It means a lot for the club and always we are reminded of it ourselves and now we are again trying to write our history with Aston Villa and try to make our supporters proud of us getting it.
”Of course [being] finalists is the first step to try to get a trophy but now it’s 50/50 for us and for the opponent and we must be focused and we must try to respect everything and play, using our wishes, how much we want this competition and of course try to play with our personality and to beat the opponent.”
Emery hails ‘huge effort’ at Aston Villa to reach next level ahead of Europa League final
Video credit: TNT Sports
Captain John McGinn joined the club in 2018 while they were in the Championship, helped them to promotion, played a key role in their rise up the table and will now lead the side out for a European final.
Having been on something of an epic journey with the club, the Scotland midfielder echoed the sentiments of his manager on the idea of taking inspiration from the success of the club’s past.
”It’s been a rollercoaster, pretty surreal to be honest,” he said.
”It’s been ups and downs, we just managed to stay in the Premier League [in 2020] but to see where we are now at the European final for the first time in 44 years is pretty special and hopefully we can be the team that does it after all this time.”
Watch all three European finals on TNT Sports and HBO Max
Wednesday’s match is the first of three European club finals, with all exclusively live on TNT Sports and HBO Max.The focus will shift to the UEFA Conference League final between Crystal Palace and Rayo Vallecano on Wednesday, May 27 at Red Bull Arena in Leipzig, live from 18:30 UK time on TNT Sports 1, TNT Sports Ultimate and HBO Max.
There will be expert analysis from a team including Glenn Hoddle, Joel Ward and Joleon Lescott.
The TNT Sports’ cameras then head to Budapest as Arsenal take on reigning European champions Paris Saint-Germain on May 30 in a quest for their first Champions League title.
TNT Sports’ coverage will kick off with a ‘Champions League Final – Super Weekend’ show presented by Reshmin Chowdhury live from 10:30 UK time with guests from across the sporting and entertainment world.
Live coverage of the game will begin from 15:00, kick-off at 17:00, and Laura Woods will be joined by Steven Gerrard, Owen Hargreaves and Martin Keown.
All three European Finals will be available for no extra cost to all HBO Max* subscribers on any Monthly or Saver Plan – starting from Basic with Ads (£4.99/month**) and above.
* TNT Sports available on HBO Max in the UK only.
**Auto-renews monthly unless cancelled. Cooling-off & refund rights lost if you request immediate access. Cancel in account settings; access retained until end of billing period. Sport limited to 2 of your available streams and in HD only where included in HBO Max Entertainment plans. Channels, live content, replays and sports (where included) contain ads.
All plans may contain sponsorship & Cross-Promotional Content. See Terms of Use for details. For tech requirements, visit our Help Centre.Add TNT Sports as a preferred source here to enjoy more content like this. Stream the Premier League, men’s and women’s FA Cup, UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League, UEFA Conference League and more live on TNT Sports and HBO Max
