Aston Villa will host Bologna at the Villa Park on Thursday night when they kick start their Europa League campaign. The home side are coming into the game on the back of a 1-1 draw with Sunderland in the Premier League over the weekend as reported by Softfootball.
Starting with the hosts suffering major heartbreak back in May as they eventually fell short in the race to book another famous Champions League ticket, some were wondering if Aston Villa would show any signs of a hangover this time around. Although Unai Emery’s men might have opened up the 2025/26 campaign with their sights set on mounting a genuine top-four charge, the former Arsenal boss has seen his squad drastically fail to find any kind of fluidity.
Suffering a late collapse away at Premier League returners Sunderland over the weekend as they had to settle for a stalemate at the Stadium of Light as seen on Aston Villa X handle. Villa have failed to win any of their first six appearances across all competitions. Likewise, despite finding the net on their travels last time out, that is the only Premier League goal that Emery’s side have registered so far this season.
Bologna’s start to the season has been mixed, with the Italian side winning two and losing two of their four games. Both defeats came away from home as Roma and Ac Milan deafead Vincenzo side respectively, while the two wins came on home soil. Three of their four games have seen only one goal, so they’re prone to a low-scoring encounter.
Bologna haven’t won any of their last six competitive games away from home, so fans will feel as though that’s the biggest hindrance preventing them from beating a wounded Villa side.
Villa desperately need to hope that something drastic changes in the coming weeks. Unai Emery’s side have looked uninspired and out of ideas, and many will feel as though their lack of signing new players in the summer is the driving factor behind that.
They do still have new faces, though, and the likes of Harvey Elliott have a huge task in the expectation of providing some invention and inspiration, but any major change will have to be a collective one, and the signs in the opening weeks of the campaign have been very worrying.
Team News
Both still dealing with respective muscle issues, Aston Villa will once again be without the Belgium duo of Youri Tielemans and Amadou Onana on Thursday night. Facing a quick turnaround in midweek, Emery could be tempted to make a handful of alterations.
After completing Deadline Day deals to the Midlands, Jadon Sancho and Harvey Elliot could feature from the start. Former Chelsea starlet Ian Maatsen could replace Lucas Digne at left-back.
Bologna on the other end will be unable to call upon the duo of Nicolo Casale and summer recruit Ciro Immobile. Likewise, Atalanta loanee Ibrahim Sulemana is also not expected to be part of Italiano’s travelling squad.
Finding the net against Genoa over the weekend and opening his Serie A account, 21-year-old Santiago Castro will lead the line here. Former Nottingham Forest midfielder Remo Freuler will partner Nikola Moro in the middle of the park
The English side comes into this with the psychological edge, having beaten the Italian outfit 2-0 in their most recent meeting. With both teams yet to kick off their new campaigns, all eyes are on who can seize early momentum and lay down a continental marker on what promises to be an atmospheric night.
Possible Lineups
Aston Villa possible starting lineup: Martínez (GK); Cash, Konsa, Mings, Digne; McGinn, Kamara; Guessand, Elliott, Sancho; Watkins
Bologna possible lineup: Skorupski (GK); De Silvestri, Vitík, Heggem, Miranda; Moro, Fruler; Orsolini, Bernardeschi, Domínguez; Castro
SoftFootball’s Prediction
Aston Villa is likely to secure victory at Villa Park, supported by their superior head-to-head record, home advantage, and Emery’s extensive European experience. Despite their recent poor domestic form, Villa possess the quality and tactical knowledge necessary to overcome Bologna’s organised but limited approach.
The combination of familiar surroundings, passionate home support, and the fresh start provided by European competition creates optimal conditions for Villa to rediscover their winning formula. Bologna’s recent victory provides confidence, but their away form and historical struggles against Villa suggest they will find it difficult to secure a positive result in Birmingham.
