Aston Villa‘s latest appearance in the quarter-finals of European competition takes them to the picturesque surrounds of the Stadio Renato Dall’Ara as they visit Bologna in the first leg of a difficult Europa League tie.
Having reached the semi-finals of the Conference League in 2024 and progressed to the last eight of the Champions League last season, Villa will be hoping this campaign proves to be a case of third time lucky as they seek a first major European trophy since winning the European Cup in 1982.
The Europa League is a competition in which their manager Unai Emery has enjoyed great success, winning it three times during his tenure as coach of Sevilla.
And Villa underlined their status as favourites in the last 16, beating Lille over two legs to keep their hopes of silverware alive.
The Europa League also offers Villa an insurance policy as a secondary route into the Champions League should they fail qualify via the Premier League.
But Bologna, whose home is set against the backdrop of the scenic hills to the south of the city and has the iconic Tower of Marathon incorporated into the stadium, have the ability to make it a trip to forget for Emery’s men.
Bologna knocked out Roma after an extra-time thriller in the previous round and have scored 21 goals in the Europa League this season, tied for the most in the competition, with only two coming from the penalty spot.
Villa beat Bologna 2-0 in the league phase of last season’s Champions League and already have a 1-0 win over the Serie A side to their name this term. However, both of those victories came at home, and Villa have struggled on the road at late, their lone win in their last four away matches a 1-0 triumph at Lille.
And with Bologna on a run of four straight victories, Villa know they cannot afford to take Vincenzo Italiano’s men lightly.
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Team news for Bologna v Aston Villa
Bologna defender Martin Vitik is suspended, but left-back Juan Miranda is available for selection having been banned for the second leg against Roma.
Benjamin Dominguez, Charalampos Lykogiannis, Thijs Dallinga and Jens Odgaard all missed last weekend’s fixture with Cremonese, while goalkeeper Lukasz Skorupski is still out with a hamstring injury. Federico Ravaglia will continue in goal in his stead.
Villa will be without Boubacar Kamara due to a knee injury, but influential midfielder Youri Tielemans is poised to return from an ankle injury. Jadon Sancho will miss out with a shoulder injury he suffered in a friendly during the international break.
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