Aston Villa v Bologna - Line-ups, stats and preview

Match Preview for Aston Villa v Bologna

Match preview for Aston Villa v Bologna

Aston Villa and Bologna will lock horns on Thursday night at Villa Park as both sides begin their Europa League group stage campaigns.

This is the second successive season the two clubs have met in Birmingham. Villa came out on top last year in the Champions League, winning 2-0, but the Premier League side head into the rematch in poor form.

Villa have endured a nightmare start to their domestic season, still searching for their first league victory after five attempts. Their only goal so far came in last weekend’s 1-1 draw against 10-man Sunderland, when Matty Cash’s strike was deflected in.

Unai Emery’s men were also eliminated from the EFL Cup on penalties by Brentford and currently sit 19th in the Premier League.

After their Champions League quarter-final run last season, this dip has been a bitter pill to swallow.

Now returning to the Europa League for the first time since 2008, Villa will look to revive their season in Europe.

With Emery’s record of four Europa League titles, their manager knows exactly how to navigate this competition, but his squad must find rhythm quickly if they are to progress.

Bologna arrive in England seeking revenge after last year’s defeat at Villa Park. The Serie A side had a brief taste of the Champions League last season, though they finished 28th in the league phase. Still, they have secured back-to-back European qualifications for the first time in decades, thanks largely to winning the Coppa Italia in May.

That 1-0 triumph over AC Milan brought silverware to the Rossoblu for the first time in years, but Vincenzo Italiano’s men have started this season inconsistently, winning both of their home matches while losing their two away fixtures.

Italiano, a two-time Conference League finalist with Fiorentina, has shown he knows how to guide teams deep into knockout tournaments – though he now faces the ultimate cup specialist in Emery.

Team news for Aston Villa v Bologna

Villa will likely shuffle their lineup after Emery branded their display against Sunderland “lazy.” Amadou Onana and Youri Tielemans are still sidelined through injury, Ross Barkley is ineligible, and Boubacar Kamara has only just returned to fitness.

In attack, new loanees Harvey Elliott and Jadon Sancho could be handed starting opportunities, while Donyell Malen is pushing to replace Ollie Watkins, who has struggled in front of goal.

Bologna, who only found the net once in their opening three Serie A fixtures before hitting two late goals against Genoa last weekend, will hope their forwards can step up.

Santiago Castro is close to full fitness and has a goal and assist in his last two appearances, while Thijs Dallinga provides another option alongside Riccardo Orsolini, who netted a stoppage-time penalty on Saturday.

Italiano must contend without Nicolo Casale, Tommaso Pobega, Ibrahim Sulemana and Ciro Immobile, all out injured, while Lorenzo De Silvestri was not included in Bologna’s UEFA squad list.

Expected line-ups for Aston Villa v Bologna

Aston Villa: Martinez; Cash, Konsa, Torres, Maatsen; Bogarde, McGinn; Elliott, Rogers, Sancho; Watkins

Bologna: Skorupski; Zortea, Vitik, Lucumi, Miranda; Freuler, Ferguson; Orsolini, Odgaard, Rowe; Castro

How to watch Aston Villa v Bologna: TV channel, online stream

Thursday night’s clash between Aston Villa and Bologna will be shown live in the United Kingdom on TNT Sports, with coverage available both on television and via streaming through the Discovery+ app and website. Kick-off at Villa Park is scheduled for 8:00pm BST.

The stats for Aston Villa v Bologna

Villa are winless in their last six matches in all competitions
Emery has lifted the Europa League trophy four times, more than any other manager
Bologna’s last European quarter-final appearance came in 1999
The Rossoblu have never beaten an English club in a competitive UEFA fixture
Villa won last season’s meeting at Villa Park 2-0 thanks to goals from John McGinn and Jhon Duran
Bologna’s Coppa Italia triumph in May was their first major trophy in over 50 years