Aston Villa host Bologna on the opening matchday of this season’s UEFA Europa League campaign, with both teams amongst the favourites to secure automatic progression to the Round of 16.
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Having finished sixth in last season’s Premier League table, Aston Villa compete in a major European competition for the third consecutive campaign. The West Midlanders have been knocked out by the eventual winners in each of their last two continental adventures, losing to Olympiacos in the Conference League semi-finals before being eliminated by Paris Saint-Germain at the quarter-final stage of the Champions League.
Bologna were involved in UEFA’s top-tier competition for the first time in six decades last season, but were unable to really make their presence felt. Although Vincenzo Italiano’s men managed to register a marquee victory over German giants Borussia Dortmund, they exited the Champions League ahead of the knockout stages. The Veltri have never participated in the Europa League under its current guise, but enjoyed several good UEFA Cup runs during the 1990s.
The match will be shown exclusively live on TNT Sports, the United Kingdom’s main broadcaster of Champions League, Europa League, and Conference League football. Coverage from Villa Park commences at 7.30pm, with kick-off scheduled for 30 minutes later.
Aston Villa v Bologna: Key information
Date: Thursday, September 25th
Kick-off time: 8.00pm
Venue: Villa Park, Birmingham
Referee: TBC
VAR: TBC
TV Channels: TNT Sports 1, TNT Sports Ultimate
Live stream: discovery+ app
Odds: Aston Villa: 5/6, Draw: 12/5, Bologna: 7/2
Odds provided by bet365
Aston Villa vs. Bologna team news
Both managers wrestle with several injury headaches, as the busy early-season fixture schedule begins to take its toll.
Unai Emery and Vincenzo Italiano prefer to set up in a 4-2-3-1 formation, so the two teams will likely go directly toe-to-toe on Thursday evening. The Italians may be a little more defensive as the visiting side, but are more than capable of inflicting damage on the counter-attack.
Aston Villa team news
Unai Emery has a decision to make between the sticks, as he weighs up whether to start experienced Dutchman Marco Bizot or long-term number one Emiliano Martínez. Both goalkeepers have featured in Emery’s starting line-up on three occasions this season, but Martínez seems most likely to get the nod after appearing in each of Villa’s last two Premier League fixtures.
After breaking the deadlock midway through the first half of Poland’s World Cup qualifying meeting with Finland earlier this month, Matty Cash was withdrawn at the interval due to injury. It initially looked like he would subsequently face a spell on the sidelines, but the industrious full-back has since featured against Everton and Sunderland, netting the opener in the latter. His continued presence in the team hasn’t exactly aided Victor Lindelöf’s cause, who is yet to make his full debut for the club following his deadline day move from Manchester United.
Spanish full-back Andrés García awaits his first appearance of the new campaign, having further aggravated an ongoing injury. The club have been reluctant to share the nature and extent of García’s issue, suggesting he may be out for a considerable period.
Defensive midfield duo Amadou Onana and Boubacar Kamara both recently suffered hamstring strains, but are at very different stages in their respective recoveries. Kamara came off the bench during Villa’s disappointing League Cup defeat to Brentford, before starting Sunday’s 1-1 draw with Sunderland at the Stadium of Light. There is currently no return date in sight for Belgian international Onana, who has already been out for almost a month. Consequently, captain John McGinn could once again assume a defensive role in the middle of the park.
Youri Tielemans sustained a calf injury during Villa’s goalless draw with Everton and therefore won’t play a part on Thursday night, while fellow midfielder Ross Barkley will also miss out. The former Everton ace is still severely lacking in match fitness following a challenging pre-season period, as rumours of his impending exit from the club continue to circulate.
Although a centre-forward by trade, Ivorian international Evann Guessand – who arrived in the summer from Ligue 1 outfit OGC Nice – is likely to take up a position on Villa’s right-hand flank. Meanwhile, fellow new recruits Jadon Sancho and Harvey Elliott may have to once again settle for a place on the bench. Ollie Watkins is yet to open his account this season, but has netted six goals in his last 22 UEFA Club Competition appearances.
Aston Villa predicted line-up v Bologna (4-2-3-1)
Coach: Unai Emery
Emiliano Martínez (GK), Matty Cash, Ezri Konsa, Tyrone Mings, Lucas Digne, John McGinn, Boubacar Kamara, Evann
Guessand, Morgan Rogers, Donyell Malen, Ollie Watkins
Bologna team news
Vincenzo Italiano has four medium-term absentees, while Swedish international Emil Holm is now back in contention. The 25-year-old full-back struggled with a muscle problem during pre-season, but was fit enough to return to the bench for Saturday’s clash with Genoa.
Fellow defender Nicolò Casale encountered a hamstring issue during Bologna’s opening weekend loss to Roma at the Stadio Olimpico, and will subsequently be out for the remainder of September. The Verona-born centre-half was withdrawn at the interval in the Italian capital, a quarter of an hour after his former Lazio teammate Ciro Immobile was forced off with a thigh problem. Immobile registered 16 goals in 29 Europa League appearances for the Biancocelesti, but certainly won’t be adding to this tally on Thursday evening.
Bologna are a little light in the middle of the park, having lost both Ibrahim Sulemana and Tommaso Pobega over the course of the international break. Sulemana sprained his medial collateral ligament ahead of Ghana’s 1-1 draw with Chad in N'Djamena, having only joined the Rossoblù on a season-long loan from Serie A rivals Atalanta a few days prior. Influential midfielder Pobega is also sidelined, although it’s hoped he’ll be back for the visit of German outfit Freiburg on matchday two.
Four different centre-backs have already registered starts this term, so it’s difficult to know which two players will feature at the heart of Bologna’s back four. A partnership of Martin Vitík and Torbjørn Heggem is perhaps most likely, with this combination deployed in two of the Rossoblù’s opening four Serie A contests. There still might not be a place for club captain Lewis Ferguson, despite obvious shortages in midfield. The energetic Scotsman played every minute of his country's two September qualifiers, but has been used sparingly by Vincenzo Italiano so far this term.
Bologna predicted line-up v Aston Villa (4-2-3-1)
Coach: Vincenzo Italiano
Łukasz Skorupski (GK), Nadir Zortea, Martin Vitík, Torbjørn Heggem, Remo Freuler, Nikola Moro, Riccardo Orsolini, Giovanni
Fabbian, Nicolò Cambiaghi, Santiago Castro
Where to watch on TV or live stream?
The TNT Sports cameras will be at Villa Park on Thursday evening, as they will be for the West Midlanders’ remaining home league phase ties against Maccabi Tel Aviv, Young Boys, and RB Salzburg. All customers will be able to catch the action on TNT Sports 1, but those with a premium entertainment package should tune into TNT Sports Ultimate, where they can access UltraHD pictures and Dolby Atmos surround-sound.
Viewers can also watch the match via the discovery+ app, providing they have a relevant subscription.
Head-to-Head record
These two teams have only met on one previous occasion, during the initial phase of last season’s Champions League campaign. Aston Villa emerged triumphant on home soil to ensure they took maximum points from their opening three fixtures, beating Bologna 2-0 thanks to second-half goals from John McGinn and departed striker Jhon Durán.
Unai Emery’s men have endured a tumultuous start to the new campaign, having only picked up a solitary point from their first four Premier League outings. After commendably keeping Newcastle United at bay despite playing most of the second half with ten men, Villa incurred sobering losses to Brentford and Crystal Palace. A drab 0-0 draw at Everton’s newly-constructed Hill Dickinson Stadium then followed, before Saturday's stalemate in Sunderland produced the West Midlanders’ first league goal of the season. Having also been eliminated from the EFL Cup at the first hurdle, there’s understandably plenty of concern amongst the Villa support.
Bologna head into Thursday’s encounter in buoyant spirits, having beaten Genoa in dramatic fashion at the weekend. After going behind just after the hour mark, the hosts equalised through Argentinian centre-forward Santiago Castro before Riccardo Orsolini converted an extremely late penalty – which was awarded after VAR had spotted a handball infringement in the Genoa box – to secure all three points at the Stadio Renato Dall'Ara. They currently find themselves in eleventh place in the Serie A table, following a sequence of two wins and two defeats during the season’s initial exchanges.
Odds for Aston Villa vs. Bologna
As they boast a superior European pedigree to their Italian opponents, Aston Villa are expected to secure all three points on Thursday evening. Most bookmakers have the Villains as odds-on favourites, with the likes of bet365 pricing a home win at 5/6.
Nevertheless, as many Serie A outfits have discovered to their detriment over the past two seasons, Bologna are certainly no pushovers. Based on the odds below, backing an away triumph offers plenty of value. What do you think the outcome of this week’s clash at Villa Park will be?
Moneyline odds
The odds, correct at the time of publication, are subject to change. All odds provided by bet365.