Bologna vs Aston Villa – News and Probable Lineups

Aston Villa and Bologna are set to clash for the third time in two seasons at Stadio Dall’Ara for the opening leg of their Europa League quarter-final this Thursday evening.

After being defeated twice in England, the Italian team looks to continue a long unbeaten streak in European competitions, while Villa aims for their eighth consecutive victory in UEFA’s second-tier tournament.

Match overview

Having not played a competitive match for more than two weeks, Aston Villa can now focus on their goals of remaining in the Premier League’s top five and chasing the Europa League trophy.

With a 3-0 aggregate win over Lille in the last round, the 1982 European champions will participate in their third consecutive continental quarter-final.

In the previous two seasons, they also eliminated Lille in the quarter-finals of the 2023-24 Conference League, then were defeated 5-4 by eventual champions Paris Saint-Germain in last season’s Champions League.

Despite a surprising league-phase loss to Go Ahead Eagles in Deventer, Villa’s last-16 encounter marked their ninth win in 10 Europa League matches this season, providing relief from a difficult spell domestically.

With only nine points earned from 10 league games, Unai Emery’s squad may have to find another way into next season’s Champions League, especially after a vital home victory against West Ham United.

Now settled in fourth place in England’s premier division, the Villans are in a tight competition for a top-five finish, holding a five-point lead over Liverpool and six over Chelsea.

However, before resuming play in Bologna, Villa will have had a gap of two-and-a-half weeks without a significant match since their victory over West Ham, as international fixtures intervened, and they also missed last week’s FA Cup matches.

A positive aspect is that their Basque head coach, known for his proficiency in navigating the later rounds of the Europa League, has already won it four times – furthermore, Emery has succeeded in both tactical encounters against Vincenzo Italiano.

Bologna, having faced Aston Villa in Birmingham twice over the past 18 months, suffered defeats on both occasions – 2-0 in last year’s Champions League and 1-0 earlier this season.

Nonetheless, the Rossoblu have established a club-record 11-match unbeaten run in European competitions, with that loss at Villa Park being their only setback in the last 15 matches.

Under the leadership of Italiano, who has twice been a runner-up in the Conference League with Fiorentina, Bologna now enters its fifth UEFA quarter-final – their first since defeating Lyon in the 1998-99 UEFA Cup.

To advance this far, the Emilian side triumphed over domestic rivals Roma over two legs, clinching a thrilling last-16 tie 5-4 after extra time, following a victory against SK Brann in the knockout playoffs.

Thus, following their memorable Coppa Italia win and participation in the Champions League last year, Felsinei fans maintain hopes for further success.

With their focus primarily on the Europa League, as they have been eliminated from the cup and trail sixth-placed Roma by nine points in Serie A, aspirations of returning to continental competition now hinge on winning the Europa League.

While this may appear a tall order, Bologna has been resilient up to this point, and three wins from their last four fixtures – including a 2-1 win over Cremonese last Sunday – should instill confidence in the squad.

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Team News

With the benefit of a rare break, Emery is anticipated to field his first-choice squad on Thursday, with key player Youri Tielemans potentially making his first start in weeks.

However, two of his Belgian midfield partners will be absent: Boubacar Kamara remains sidelined, and Ross Barkley is ineligible after not being included in Aston Villa’s UEFA squad.

On-loan winger Jason Sancho is also unavailable due to a shoulder injury sustained in a recent friendly against Elche.

On a positive note, Villa’s Scottish captain made a welcomed return before the international break: John McGinn, who has scored nine times in European competitions, has netted in both of the previous games against Bologna and could become the first Villa player to reach double figures in Europe.

Meanwhile, Lewis Ferguson, a teammate of McGinn in the Scottish national team, has participated in all 12 of Bologna’s Europa League matches this season; experienced forward Federico Bernardeschi has contributed five goals, including one in each leg against Roma.

English winger Jonathan Rowe is also expected to be a threat to the visiting defense, having been involved in five goals in his last six Europa League appearances – he also scored last Sunday.

Although Italiano will be without Martin Vitik due to suspension, Spanish left-back Juan Miranda returns after serving a one-match UEFA ban at Stadio Olimpico.

It remains uncertain if Benjamin Dominguez, Charalampos Lykogiannis, Thijs Dallinga, or Jens Odgaard will be fit, as all four missed Sunday’s fixture against Cremona; first-choice goalkeeper Lukasz Skorupski continues to be out, so Federico Ravaglia will have to step in once again.

Bologna probable starting XI:

Ravaglia; Mario, Lucumi, Heggem, Miranda; Moro, Freuler, Ferguson; Bernardeschi, Castro, Rowe

Aston Villa probable starting XI:

Martinez; Cash, Konsa, Torres, Digne; Onana, Tielemans; McGinn, Buendia, Rogers; Watkins

Bologna, well-acquainted with their upcoming rivals, have struggled to find their footing against Aston Villa in their last two contests.

In Serie A, the hosts have accumulated 11 more points while playing away compared to their home matches at the Dall’Ara, so Villa can at least hope to leave Emilia-Romagna with a share of the spoils.