Aston Villa v Bologna: predicted line-up, team news and match preview

If ever a team needed a break from domestic football and a chance to put things right on the Europa League stage, Aston Villa is it.

Villa are in awful shape at the start of the 2025/26 season, with their Premier League form deserting them and a timid Carabao Cup exit ending one path to silverware before it even began.

The club is evidently unsettled. Reports of discontent behind the scenes are growing, if a little spurious, and the changing of the nameplate on the door of the president of football operations’ office next to Unai Emery‘s suggests that there’s some fire to go with the smoke.

Monchi’s departure appeared to be amicable enough in the end but it probably isn’t a coincidence that the decision was made with Villa so obviously struggling.

The immediate need for everyone concerned is to find the spark to put things right on the pitch. It’s almost immaterial whether the central issue is confidence, tactics, tempo, whatever – these are professional managers, coaches and players and their under-performance must end.

Making that happen is easier said than done but a retooling of the mindset for the Europa League, in which Serie A side Bologna visit Villa Park on Thursday for the first fixture in the league phase, is an opportunity to do it.

Previous meeting in the Champions League

Bologna have started the season with two wins and two defeats in the league but both of their wins, against Como and Genoa, were at home.

In their two away games, the Rossoblu were beaten by Roma and AC Milan without scoring a goal. They’ve scored twice from open play, raising questions about their attacking capabilities despite leading man Riccardo Orsolini quickly getting off the mark.

Villa played Bologna in European competition as recently as last season, when the Serie A outfit visited Villa Park in the league phase of the Champions League. Villa won 2-0 last October thanks to goals from John McGinn and Jhon Durán.

Emery’s men went on to reach the quarter-finals while Bologna, led then and now by head coach Vincenzo Italiano, were eliminated in the league phase having won just one of their matches.

Villa team news

Midfielder Boubacar Kamara returned to the starting line-up against Sunderland on Sunday after coming off the bench in the League Cup tie at Brentford but Villa’s midfield injury issues remain.

Youri Tielemans and Amadou Onana are both still injured, albeit with a return reportedly possible in time for the next Premier League match, and Ross Barkley‘s absence continues.

Villa’s other noteworthy absentee is Andrés García. The Spanish right-back is also still injured, meaning Victor Lindelöf and Ezri Konsa are the back-up to Matty Cash for the time being.

Villa predicted line-up v Bologna

The team’s performances up to this point call for change but Emery is unlikely to go for wholesale alterations in terms of personnel and formation. Hopefully, an uplift in tempo and an improvement in attitude can make the difference.

A manager of Emery’s calibre knows that Ollie Watkins and Morgan Rogers both need a week out of the firing line whether they want it or not, but the lack of an adequate understudy for Watkins prevents that from happening.

Rogers, though, has competition. His contributions in the season so far should leave the door open for Harvey Elliott. If this were an away game in the Premier League I’d bet money Emi Buendía would start but a home debut for Elliott could be just the ticket for Villa.

Something a lot of Villa folk have discussed in the last few days is the combination of former Borussia Dortmund teammates Ian Maatsen and Jadon Sancho on the left, which could be another springboard for improved fortunes.

While I recognise Maatsen’s limitations and Emery’s reluctance to use him, I would like to see that pairing on the left. I don’t think it’ll happen against Bologna but I think and hope it’ll happen from the start of a game soon.

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