Artuborough hopes Freiburg will continue its momentum built up over the years.

The 2025/26 UEFA Europa League final will take place, with Freiburg traveling to the Besiktaş Stadium to challenge Premier League club Aston Villa. 23-year-old Artuboru expressed his hope that the team's good fortune and momentum accumulated over the past few years will continue.

In the final round of the Bundesliga earlier this season, Freiburg defeated Leipzig 4-1 thanks to goals from Niklas Best, Igor Matanovic, Matthias Ginter and Dery Scherhant, successfully sending them off to the Europa League final.

However, Aston Villa, managed by Emery, also had high morale after defeating Liverpool 4-2 in an earlier Premier League match.

Freiburg goalkeeper Artubolu said in an interview, "We have beaten almost every opponent we have faced, whether at home or away, and we have also finished the league stage very well. The games are never easy, and in the knockout stage, we are often behind in the first leg. At that time, we must show our fighting spirit and prove that the team has a strong ability to come back. And now we have made it to the final."

“I think this is more special for us than for some perhaps bigger clubs. We came here from a completely different starting point. There have been some tough times in the past, which I didn’t experience firsthand, but many of the current starters have been through that period of fighting to avoid relegation until the very last moment of the season. Now we are experiencing the good times that the club has built up over the years, and hopefully this momentum can continue.”

Furthermore, in the Europa League semi-final, Freiburg eliminated Braga with a 4-3 aggregate score. Artuborough said, "My penalty save against Braga in the first leg of the semi-final was a wonderful moment, and the second leg will forever be an unforgettable memory in my career. The atmosphere in the stadium was something I had never experienced before, either as a player or as a fan."

“It’s a pity I never played with manager Julian Schuster, but we’ve worked together since he became manager in 2024, and I know him very well as a manager. The results speak for themselves; in two years, we’ve reached the German Cup semi-finals and the Europa League final.”

Artuboru also said, "I do a lot of analysis on penalties, and I watch a lot of football matches, paying special attention to these situations. Improvement often happens naturally, but my philosophy is that it takes time and effort. We will prepare as well as possible, whether it's a penalty or any other situation."

“I hope we can finish the game in 90 minutes, but if it goes to penalties, I’m definitely ready and will give it my all. In fact, I’ve only participated in penalty shootouts with the youth team, which is when I started playing as a goalkeeper.”

Image source: Internet