Europa League quarter-final second leg: Celta vs Freiburg facts

Freiburg are in command as they travel to Spain for the conclusion of their UEFA Europa League quarter-final against Celta.

First-time European quarter-finalists Freiburg hold a 3-0 advantage after Vincenzo Grifo (10), Jan-Niklas Beste (32) and Matthias Ginter (78) scored at the Stadion am Wolfswinkel in Germany on 9 April.

Celta were 3-1 winners against Lyon in the last 16 (1-1 h, 2-0 a), having recorded the same aggregate result against PAOK in their knockout phase play-offs (2-1 a, 1-0 h). They earned 13 points in the league phase, taking 16th spot.

Freiburg recovered from losing the first leg of their round of 16 tie with Genk to win 5-2 on aggregate (0-1 a, 5-1 h). They had finished seventh on 17 points in the league phase with a record of W5 D2 L1.

Last match

Freiburg's first-leg triumph was the first meeting between the teams.

Celta have won just one of their seven matches against German teams (D2 L4) and have suffered defeats in the last four, also losing 1-2 at Stuttgart on Matchday 1 this season. Their only success did come at home, a 2-1 win over Stuttgart in the second leg of a 2000/01 UEFA Cup fourth round tie that completed a 2-1 aggregate success (0-0 a). Their home record is otherwise D1 L1.

Celta lost the most recent of two knockout ties against German opposition, going down 0-3 on aggregate to Werder Bremen in the 2006/07 UEFA Cup round of 16 (0-1 h, 0-2 a). Those February 2001 meetings with Stuttgart represent their only other two-legged tie with a German team.

This is Freiburg's fourth match against Spanish opposition, their only previous encounters before the first leg two group stage defeats by Sevilla in the 2013/14 Europa League (0-2 a, 0-2 h).

Celta

This is Celta's first European campaign since 2016/17, when they were eliminated 1-2 on aggregate by Manchester United in the Europa League semi-finals (0-1 h, 1-1 a) – their best run in a major UEFA competition.

They had also made the UEFA Cup quarter-finals in three consecutive seasons between 1998/99 and 2000/01, losing on each occasion.

Freiburg

This is Freiburg's seventh European campaign, including qualifying, all in the UEFA Cup/Europa League.

Prior to 2025/26, their best showings were consecutive round of 16 appearances in 2022/23 and 2023/24, losing 0-3 to Juventus (0-1 a, 0-2 h) and 1-5 to West Ham (1-0 h, 0-5 a) respectively.

 Key stats

Celta have lost only two of their last nine home games in UEFA competition (W6 D1).

The Spanish side had scored in 13 consecutive games in European competition, opening the scoring in seven in a row in the Europa League, before drawing a blank in Germany.

Celta have won five of their last six two-legged European ties.

This is the first time Celta have faced a three-goal deficit in a European second leg.

Freiburg are the 22nd German club to reach the last eight of the UEFA Cup/Europa League — more than any other country.

Seventeen Bundesliga clubs have reached the UEFA Cup/UEFA Europa League semi‑finals, already a record — England and Italy and Italy are next on 13. Freiburg would make it 18 German representatives in the last four.

The German side have lost only two of their last 11 European matches (W7 D2).

The first-leg victory was Freiburg's tenth successive home win in UEFA competition, although they have a single victory in eight away (D3 L4).

This is the first time Freiburg have gone into a European second leg with a three-goal advantage.