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• Terzic calls on Dortmund to maintain focus ahead of Champions League final

  Borussia Dortmund will not go easy on Mainz in the Bundesliga on Saturday as they look to maintain their rhythm ahead of the Champions League final, says coach Edin Terzic.

  Dortmund are fifth in the Bundesliga with two games remaining, with the performances of German clubs in Europe ensuring that will be enough for Champions League participation next season.

  They are also building towards their third appearance in the final of Europe's premier club competition, having overcome Paris Saint-Germain 2-0 on aggregate in the last four.

  While all eyes will soon turn to their trip to Wembley Stadium to face Real Madrid on June 1, Terzic is determined that his side maintain their intensity levels, even if he rotates his squad.

  "Through this rotation we not only keep the team physically and emotionally fresh but we also give chances to other players," Terzic told reporters on Friday.

  "Our season just got a bit longer and we want to keep the rhythm up. It is about what we have built up in the past weeks and us wanting to still achieve something big, and that cannot happen with us shifting down a gear.

  "We want to make these weeks the best weeks of the season."

  Mainz denied Dortmund the Bundesliga title last season, snatching a 2-2 draw against BVB on the final day as Bayern Munich swooped in to retain their crown. 

  They are now battling against relegation, but Terzic is not thinking of Saturday's game as a chance for payback.

  "They did spoil our summer last year, but they did it fair and square. They had a say last season and did it well," he said. "Now we have the chance to have an influence." 

  Mainz are in 16th place, currently occupying the relegation play-off spot, five points ahead of 17th-placed Cologne.

  More importantly for Terzic, the game marks the start of a three-week build-up towards the Champions League final.

  "We celebrated our qualification for the final on the night and now we have to deal with the situation pragmatically," he said.

  "Now a new preparation starts for the Champions League final with these remaining two Bundesliga matches."

• McGinn focusing on 'astronomical achievement' of Champions League qualification after Aston Villa heartbreak

  John McGinn is quickly turning his focus to the "astronomical achievement" of Champions League qualification after Aston Villa suffered heartbreak in the semi-finals of the Europa Conference League.

  Villa were among the favourites to lift Europe's third-tier trophy but a 2-0 defeat at Olympiacos on Thursday consigned Unai Emery's men to a 6-2 aggregate loss over the two-leg tie.

  It means Villa end what has largely been viewed as an excellent season without a trophy but they can still finish on a high by securing a top-four finish in the Premier League.

  They lead fifth-place Tottenham by seven points with two games left in their domestic season, albeit Spurs do have a game in hand.

  McGinn apologised to the travelling support in Piraeus but, speaking to TNT Sports after the game, said there is still an opportunity to finish the season on a high.

  "We went into this competition as favourites and we handled that pressure throughout the competition, I think it’s been a huge learning curve for us," he said.

  "It's not been a smooth journey, we got to the semi-finals down to the bare bones a bit.

  "However, those of us who were out there over the two legs, we lost to who were the better team and I think the scoreline proves it."

  "Our instant feeling is absolutely gutted. We all wanted to be back here for the final.

  "Olympiacos gave it absolutely everything, played out of their skin in both legs, and overall the scoreline proves they were the better team.

  "We'll reflect, there's a lot of things we could have done better, but over the season, of course, we can be proud of the journey.

  "Obviously, we need to apologise to the supporters who have travelled here, they've travelled the whole campaign with us.

  "We wanted to deliver a trophy to them, we all wanted it as players. We’'e all bitterly disappointed, but we need a big push in the last two games to try and get over the line for the Champions League, which would be an astronomical achievement.

  "But here, the overriding feeling is disappointment, frustration and an opportunity missed. Congratulations to Olympiacos and we wish them all the best in the final."

• Bayer Leverkusen deserve treble, says Xabi Alonso after Roma late show

  Bayer Leverkusen coach Xabi Alonso said his team deserve to win all three trophies available to them this season after they qualified for the Europa League final by seeing off Roma on Thursday.

  Leverkusen, who have already wrapped up the Bundesliga title and will contest the DFB-Pokal final on May 25, stretched their unbeaten run through all competitions this season to 49 matches, surpassing Benfica's long-standing European top-tier record set between 1963 and 1965.

  Once again, they did it the hard way after two Leandro Paredes penalties wiped out their first-leg advantage, with a Gianluca Mancini own goal and a stoppage-time strike from Josip Stanisic completing a dramatic comeback.

  Following their 4-2 aggregate victory, Roma will face Atalanta in the May 22 final in Dublin, after La Dea overcame Marseille 4-1 on aggregate in the other semi-final.

  "We'll play two finals in a week as a result," Alonso said. "We showed great character today after their second goal. 

  "I looked my players in the eye afterwards and saw that they wanted more.

  "We still have the chance to win three titles, and my boys deserve all three titles."

  Despite going 3-2 up on aggregate when Mancini put through his own net, Leverkusen refused to sit back as they looked to preserve their unbeaten record, which they did through Stanisic's 97th-minute strike.

  Asked whether that goal was one of the biggest moments of his career, the Bayern Munich loanee said: "Definitely one of them. 

  "We knew what was at stake, we really wanted to get to the final and I think you could see that over 90 minutes today.

  "I don't think we would have cared in the end if we lost and still progressed because we really wanted to get to the final, but it's even nicer this way."

  For Roma, the chance to reach a second straight Europa League final after last season's defeat by Sevilla on penalties slipped away in the dying minutes of the match.

  "When you manage to get it back from 2-0 down and go close to the miracle, knowing nobody has ever beaten them this season, it hurts to see us concede a goal like that. It hurts," Roma boss Daniele De Rossi told Sky Sports Italia.