Overview
After more than 2 weeks of not playing officially, Aston Villa is preparing to enter the final stretch, with the goal of maintaining their position in the top 5 of the Premier League and conquering the UEFA Europa League title.
The 1982 European champions reached the quarter-finals of the European Cup for the third consecutive season, after overcoming Lille with a total score of 3-0 in the previous round. In the last two seasons, they also eliminated Lille in the quarter-finals of the 2023-2024 Conference League, before stopping before Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League last season.
Despite disappointing when losing to Go Ahead Eagles in the group stage, the victory in the round of 16 helped Villa have 9 wins in 10 matches in the Europa League this season, thereby regaining stability after a difficult period in the domestic league.
Unai Emery's team is still fiercely competing for a Champions League spot. Currently they are fourth, 5 points ahead of Liverpool and 6 points ahead of Chelsea.
However, the long break due to FIFA Days schedule and not participating in the FA Cup made Villa somewhat lack the rhythm to play before the away trip to Italy.
In the opposite direction, Bologna is showing formidable tenacity. Although they have lost twice at Villa Park in the past 18 months, the Serie A representative has now established a 11-match unbeaten streak in European competitions, with the only defeat in the last 15 matches being against Aston Villa.
Under the leadership of Vincenzo Italiano, Bologna reached the European Cup quarter-finals for the first time since the 1998-1999 season. On this journey, they defeated AS Roma with a total score of 5-4 in extra time, before that defeating SK Brann in the play-offs.
In Serie A, Bologna almost has no chance to compete for the top 6 when they are 9 points behind Roma, which means that the Europa League becomes the only way for them to win tickets to European cups next season.
Although the task is not easy, recent form - with 3 wins in 4 matches, including a 2-1 victory over Cremonese - is helping Bologna gain more confidence before this important confrontation.
Personnel situation
Thanks to the rare break, Unai Emery is likely to field the strongest squad when Aston Villa enters the next match. Notably, Youri Tielemans may start for the first time after many weeks of absence.
However, Villa's midfield still suffered losses when Boubacar Kamara could not return, and Ross Barkley was not eligible to play because he was not registered in the UEFA list.
On the wing, Jadon Sancho is also absent due to a shoulder injury sustained in the friendly match with Elche.
The highlight of the Villa Park home team is the impressive return of captain John McGinn. The Scottish midfielder has scored in both previous encounters with Bologna and currently has 9 goals in European competitions.
On the other side, Bologna also possesses notable factors. Lewis Ferguson has played all 12 matches in the Europa League this season, while Federico Bernardeschi has 5 goals, including goals in both legs against AS Roma.
In addition, Jonathan Rowe is also a major threat as he has directly participated in 5 goals in the last 6 Europa League appearances, and just scored last weekend.
In terms of force, Vincenzo Italiano's team will lack Martin Vitik due to suspension, but Juan Miranda may return after serving his sentence.
Meanwhile, the possibility of Benjamin Dominguez, Charalampos Lykogiannis, Thijs Dallinga and Jens Odgaard playing is still open after missing the match against Cremonese.
In goal, Lukasz Skorupski continues to be sidelined, meaning Federico Ravaglia will start one more match.
Expected lineup:
Ravaglia, Mario, Lucumi, Heggem, Miranda, Moro, Freuler, Ferguson, Bernardeschi, Castro, Rowe.
Aston Villa: Martinez, Cash, Konsa, Torres, Digne, Onana, Tielemans, McGinn, Buendia, Rogers, Watkins.
The match between Bologna and Aston Villa takes place at 2:00 AM on April 10 (Vietnam time).
