For the second season running, Aston Villa and Bologna will meet in Birmingham, this time at Villa Park on Thursday night as they begin their Europa League campaign. The sides met in last year’s Champions League, where Villa claimed a 2-0 victory, but the English side arrive for the rematch in far shakier form.
Villa are still searching for their first domestic win of the season. After narrowly missing out on Champions League qualification and enduring a frustrating transfer window, Unai Emery’s side look a shadow of the team that lit up Europe last year.
A 1-1 draw with 10-man Sunderland last weekend at least saw them finally break their scoring drought in the league – Matty Cash’s deflected strike was their first goal in five games – but the wait for a victory goes on. Their league campaign so far has produced two defeats and three draws, while they also crashed out of the EFL Cup on penalties to Brentford. That leaves them second from bottom in the Premier League table.
European football may therefore offer a welcome reset. Last season, Villa thrilled on their return to the Champions League after more than 40 years away, reaching the quarter-finals before falling to eventual winners Paris Saint-Germain. Their sixth-place finish in England has now sent them into the Europa League for the first time since 2008.
With Emery’s unparalleled pedigree in this competition – he has lifted the trophy four times – Villa will be tipped to progress from the group, but only if they can find the spark that has deserted them in recent weeks.
Bologna, meanwhile, return to Villa Park still chasing a first win against English opposition in a major competition. Last October, they fell 2-0 to goals from John McGinn and Jhon Durán, and they will be keen to put up a stronger fight this time around.
The Italian side struggled in last season’s expanded Champions League, finishing 28th of 36 teams in the league phase, but back-to-back European qualifications mark a step forward for the club. Their place in this year’s Europa League was secured by a historic Coppa Italia triumph – a 1-0 win over AC Milan in Rome that gave Bologna their first major trophy in decades.
Their domestic form so far has been mixed. Two home wins, including a dramatic late victory over Genoa at the weekend, have been offset by defeats on the road. Head coach Vincenzo Italiano, who twice guided Fiorentina to the Conference League final before finally lifting silverware with Bologna in May, has already shown his nous in knockout football.
Now, though, he faces his toughest challenge yet – going up against Emery, the competition’s most decorated coach, in a battle of European specialists.
INJURIES & SUSPENSIONS
After criticising his side as “lazy” in their disappointing draw with Sunderland, Unai Emery looks set to shake things up for Aston Villa’s Europa League opener.
In midfield, Emery has limited options. Amadou Onana and Youri Tielemans remain sidelined through injury, Ross Barkley cannot be registered for the competition, and although Boubacar Kamara has returned, he is still building his fitness.
Further forward, however, Villa have more flexibility. Loan signings Harvey Elliott and Jadon Sancho are both pushing to start, while Donyell Malen could be preferred to Ollie Watkins, who has been short of form in front of goal.
Despite Villa’s attacking struggles, their Italian opponents have hardly been prolific. Bologna managed only a single goal in their opening three Serie A fixtures before finally sparking into life with two late strikes to see off Genoa. Santiago Castro was on target in that game, and the Argentine forward seems to be hitting stride after overcoming a persistent foot injury, with a goal and assist in his last two appearances at home.
At Villa Park, Castro will compete for a starting place alongside English prospect Luke Rowe and Dutch striker Thijs Dallinga. The latter endured a quiet league campaign last year but impressed in knockout football, netting three times during Bologna’s Coppa Italia triumph and scoring in the Champions League.
Meanwhile, Riccardo Orsolini remains Bologna’s main man in attack. The winger showed his composure once again at the weekend by slotting home a stoppage-time penalty, underlining his importance to Thiago Motta’s side.
The Rossoblu manager has several absentees to contend with. Nicolo Casale, Tommaso Pobega, Ibrahim Sulemana, and Ciro Immobile are all unavailable due to injury, while experienced right-back Lorenzo De Silvestri has not been included in Bologna’s UEFA squad.
POSSIBLE LINE-UPS
Aston Villa possible starting lineup:
Martinez; Cash, Konsa, Torres, Maatsen; Bogarde, McGinn; Elliott, Rogers, Sancho; Watkins
Bologna possible starting lineup:
Skorupski; Zortea, Vitik, Lucumi, Miranda; Freuler, Ferguson; Orsolini, Odgaard, Rowe; Castro
EXPERT PREDICTION
Aston Villa 1-1 Bologna
