Europa League: Bologna Bring a Welcome Distraction to Villa

Aston Villa vs Bologna

Unai Emery’s Aston Villa kick off their 2025/26 Europa League campaign on Thursday when they welcome Serie A side Bologna to Villa Park.

The Villans have endured a difficult start to their Premier League endeavours so far, scoring their first goal of the season in a 1-1 draw away to new boys Sunderland on Sunday. And a foray into European competition might be just what Villa needs to blow the cobwebs away.  

Vincenzo Italiano’s Bologna come into the game on the back of a 2-1 home win over Genoa, and they are in the competition courtesy of their first Coppa Italia title since 1974, having finished ninth in the Serie A table. I Rossoblu are looking for some consistency and momentum after they missed out on Champions League football, much like the Villans, and they will be a force to be reckoned with in European competition.  

Of course, Emery is a Europa League veteran, winning the title three times while managing Sevilla, and once with Villarreal, and he took Arsenal to the final too. And the Europa League 2025 betting odds have pitched the Villans as tournament favourites, so they need a good start.

 

Talking Points

Villa’s goal drought has ended  

After failing to find the net in their first four Premier League matches, Aston Villa finally broke their duck away to new boys Sunderland, and that after the Black Cats had gone down 10 men midway through the first half. It was wing-back Matty Cash who finally broke the drought, but even then, Villa failed to hang on as Wilson Isidor scored late for Sunderland.  

The point left the Villans in the bottom three, which nobody expected after five games. Goalless draws with Everton and Newcastle United, a 1-0 loss to likely strugglers Brentford, and a damaging 3-0 home defeat to Crystal Palace have hit the team’s confidence, and the players look a shadow of their selves who starred in last season’s Champions League.

Emery brought in creative reinforcements with two loan deals, Harvey Elliott from Liverpool and Jadon Sancho from Manchester United. Elliott scored Villa’s goal in the Carabao Cup tie with Brentford, and he is pushing for a start, while Sancho is trying to resurrect his career after a disastrous spell at Old Trafford. 

This is a squad packed with quality, with World Cup winner Emiliano Martinez in goal and Ollie Watkins, one of the Premier League’s best strikers, leading the line. They just need a result.      

 

Heggen doubtful for Bologna  

With two wins and two losses so far, Bologna have had a mixed bag in their league campaign, sitting 11^th in the early Serie A table. They haven’t had the easiest of starts, with an opening day defeat to Roma followed by an impressive win over ambitious Como. Then, I Rossoblu went down to AC Milan before they beat Genoa 2-1, thanks to goals from Santiago Castro and Riccardo Orsolini.

Italiano has not had the best luck with injuries so far, and he may be without summer signing Torbjorn Heggen, who limped off during the win over Genoa to be replaced by Jhon Lucumi. The defender is suffering a calf strain, and he will be assessed on Wednesday. Having impressed so far in the league, his manager won’t want to take any risks.

Equally, at the other end of the pitch, he will be patient before he introduces another summer signing, the veteran Capocannoniere hero Ciro Immobile, who is trying to shake off a thigh strain. 21-year-old Castro will lead the line while former Nottingham Forest star Remo Freuler will patrol the midfield. 

 

History

When the two teams met in last season’s Champions League, the Villans ran out 2-0 winners, thanks to goals from John McGinn and Jhon Duran.

With four draws and two defeats from their six games this season, one of the draws resulting in a penalty shootout exit in the Carabao Cup, Villa are in desperate need of a win. Meanwhile, Bologna have won two and lost two this season, but they also lost the final two games of last season.

 

Betting Tip

Villa are odds-on favourites to win this opener at SBOTOP odds of 1.86, with Bologna at 4.70, so this is a chance for Emery’s team, which desperately needs a victory. And Europa League 2025 results are as important as the Premier League in that respect.

But I Rossoblu may pose more problems than Brentford and Sunderland did, and I have a suspicion that Villa’s wait for a win will go on.    

   

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