Aston Villa will be looking for a vital victory to kickstart their season on Thursday when they begin their Europa League campaign at home to Italian side Bologna.
Unai Emery’s side remain winless in the Premier League and have scored just one goal so far, which came last week against 10-man Sunderland.
They will be boosted, however, by the return of a competition in which their manager is the most successful in its history. Bologna arrive in good spirits after a weekend comeback victory in Serie A.
Aston Villa vs Bologna – Match Preview and Team News
- Date: Thursday, 25 September 2025
- Kick-off: 8:00 pm BST
- Venue: Villa Park, Birmingham
- Last meeting: Aston Villa 2-0 Bologna, October 22, 2024, Champions League
Team News
Aston Villa
Unai Emery’s midfield options are limited by injuries to Amadou Onana and Youri Tielemans, while Ross Barkley is ineligible. However, Boubacar Kamara is fit again to anchor the midfield. Emery is expected to hand starts to loanees Harvey Elliott and Jadon Sancho in attack.
Bologna
The visitors are also dealing with several injuries, with Nicolo Casale, Tommaso Pobega, and Ciro Immobile all ruled out. In addition, experienced right-back Lorenzo De Silvestri is ineligible for the competition. Star winger Riccardo Orsolini will be the main attacking threat for the Italian side.
Form
Aston Villa
Villa are in the midst of a crisis domestically. They remain winless in the league, with their only goal of the campaign so far coming against 10-man Sunderland last weekend. They also suffered an early Carabao Cup exit. However, their European home form last season was formidable. They won five of their six games at Villa Park, keeping four clean sheets.
Bologna
The Serie A side arrive at Villa Park boosted by a weekend comeback win over Genoa. However, their away form has been inconsistent. They also have a dreadful historical record against English teams in Europe, having failed to win in their last five such encounters.
Predicted Lineups
Aston Villa predicted XI: Martinez; Cash, Konsa, Torres, Maatsen; Bogarde, McGinn; Elliott, Rogers, Sancho; Watkins
Bologna predicted XI: Skorupski; Zortea, Vitik, Lucumi, Miranda; Freuler, Ferguson; Orsolini, Odgaard, Rowe; Castro
How to watch Aston Villa vs Bologna?
The match will be broadcast live on TNT Sports 1 and TNT Sports Ultimate in the UK.
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