Credit: Tung Manh Phan

Cameron Smith

Wed 8 April 2026 12:00, UK

Bologna welcome Aston Villa to Stadio Renato Dall’Ara as they prepare to battle it out for a spot in the Europa League semi-finals.

The Villans secured a pathway to the quarter-finals before the international break with a 3-0 aggregate win against Lille.

On the other side, first-leg hosts Bologna come into the tie with their tails up, after securing a shock 5-4 win against one of the competiton favourites, and Italian rivals Roma.

Unai Emery has beaten Vincenzo Italiano once this season, with his side beating Bologna 1-0 at Villa Park back in September, courtesy of an early John McGinn opener.

Heading into Thursday’s clash, Villa News brings you everything you need to know.

Form guide

Bologna (last six games all comps): WLWWDL

Aston Villa (last six games all comps): WWLWLL

With the Premier League paused following the return from the international break, it will have been almost three weeks since Villa have played a competitive minute by the time they face Bologna.

Italiano’s Rossoblu on the other hand, got back to winning ways on Sunday, beating Cremonese 2-1 – bouncing back from a 2-0 loss against Lazio on the eve of the break.

Head-to-head

With the sides playing earlier this season, midfielder McGinn would score the winner in just the 13th minute at Villa Park.

That match itself was just the second time that the clubs had squared off against one another, having faced each other in the Champions League less than a year prior.

Jhon Duran and McGinn would score on that evening, leaving the B6 outfit with a 100 per cent record against the Rossoblu over two matches.

The Villans are yet to play away from home against Thursday’s opponents though, and Bologna will most certainly be searching for a result to bring to the Midlands with them.

Team news and predicted lineups

Emery will be most pleased that his stars are beginning to return, with both Youri Tielemans and McGinn getting back to fitness before the international break.

Both came back with no major incident to report, though Boubacar Kamara does remain sidelined for the rest of the campaign.

The fresh concern for Emery revolves around Jadon Sancho, who was forced off in a recent friendly against Elche, causing a selection headache ahead of the Bologna clash.

On the flip side, Bologna boss Italiano remains without multiple players.

Martin Vitik will miss Thursday’s clash through suspension, while fellow defender Charalampos Lykogiannis is a doubt through a muscle issue, alongside forward Thijs Dallinga.

Exciting winger Benjamin Dominguez is out through a recent hip injury, while first-choice goalkeeper Lukasz Skorupski is absent due to a hamstring issue sustained before the international break.

Bologna predicted XI: Ravaglia; Mario, Lucani, Heggem, Miranda; Moro, Freuler, Ferguson; Bernadeschi, Castro, Rowe

Aston Villa predicted XI: Martinez; Cash, Konsa, Torres, Digne; Onana, Tielemans; McGinn, Buendia, Rogers; Watkins

We say: Bologna 1-1 Aston Villa

Both previous matches involving the two sides have never been high-scoring, and that should be the same again on Thursday.

Over the two legs, the Villans will be the firm favourites to secure a semi-final spot, though Bologna will be desperate to secure a result on home soil, giving them something to hold on to at Villa Park.

The result would favour Villa, though, given their record at home against the Rossoblu, and it would be hard to argue anything other than a score draw being a positive result for the visitors – avoiding defeat on Italian soil for the first time in history.