Aston Villa vs Bologna Prediction, Preview, Predicted Lineups and Team News | UEFA Europa League 2025

• Tournament: 2025/26 UEFA Europa League
• Date: Thursday, 25 September 2025
• Kick-Off Timing: 19:00 PM GMT
• Venue: Villa Park, Birmingham

A thrilling match can be expected as Aston Villa and Bologna kick off the league stages of their 2025/26 UEFA Europa League campaign on Thursday evening. The Aston Villa vs Bologna clash will take place at Villa Park, with both sides determined to get a win. Here is our Aston Villa vs Bologna preview.

Aston Villa have had a tough start to the 2025/26 season, failing to win any of their five Premier League matches and being in 18th place in the table with three points. The Villans need a big win to rediscover their swagger and reduce pressure on Unai Emery.

Bologna have also had a topsy-turvy start to the 2025/26 Serie A campaign, winning two of their four league games and being in 11th place. They've won two of their last three games and aim to build a positive winning momentum by defeating the Villains.

Aston Villa Team News

Unai Emery is still without a number of players. The likes of Ross Barkley, Andres Garcia, Amadou Onana (hamstring) and Youri Tielemans (calf) are all out of action.

Bologna Team News

Vincenzo Italiano is also missing some key players. The likes of Ciro Immobile (hamstring), Nicolo Casale (thigh) and Tommaso Pobega (muscle) are ruled out for this game.

Aston Villa vs Bologna Predicted Lineups

Here we look at the Aston Villa vs Bologna predicted lineups.

Aston Villa Predicted Lineup (4-2-3-1):

Goalkeeper: Emiliano Martinez

Defenders: Matty Cash, Ezri Konsa, Pau Torres, Ian Maatsen

Midfielders: Boubacar Kamara, John McGinn, Morgan Rogers

Forwards: Harvey Elliott, Donyell Malen, Ollie Watkins

Bologna Predicted Lineup (4-2-3-1):

Goalkeeper: Lukasz Skorupski

Defenders: Emil Holm, Jhon Lucumi, Martin Vitik, Juan Miranda

Midfielders: Remo Freuler, Lewis Ferguson, Federico Bernadeschi

Forwards: Riccardo Orsolini, Nicolo Cambiaghi, Santiago Castro

Aston Villa vs Bologna Head-to-Head Record

These two teams have only faced each other once. That match happened in the 2024/25 UEFA Champions League, which Aston Villa won at Villa Park.

Key Players to Watch in Aston Villa vs Bologna

Morgan Rogers (Aston Villa)

Morgan Rogers has had a shaky start to the 2025/26 Premier League with zero goal contributions in five games. But the Englishman's quality can't be doubted, as provided 10 assists by overperforming his 5.24 xA (expected assists) in the Premier League last season. Rogers is eager to use this match as a potential booster, as he'll look to trouble the Bologna players with his smart off-the-ball runs and link-up play and be accurate with his final passes to set up chances as well as look to finish off chances clinically.

Santiago Castro (Bologna)

Santiago Castro has had a slow start to the campaign, but scored his first 2025/26 Serie A goal against Genoa recently. He's overperformed his 0.49 xG (expected goals) in the league so far and aims to maintain his momentum against Villa. Castro will look to use his smart movement to trouble the defenders and get into the right positions, but will need to be lethal with his finishing to have a chance of guiding his side to a big win.

Aston Villa vs Bologna Prediction

As both these teams have had shaky starts to the season, this game could end up being a bit of a cagey affair. However, both will be determined to get a win and there should be lots of intensity and drama added to it as well.

Aston Villa will be pumped up for a big European win at Villa Park and the atmosphere could play to their advantage. The Villans should be able to fight their way to a narrow win to regain some momentum and get their Europa League campaign off to a solid start. Here is our Aston Villa vs Bologna prediction.

Predicted Score: Aston Villa 2-1 Bologna

Where to Watch Aston Villa vs Bologna Live?

Here we look at where to watch Aston Villa vs Bologna in key regions around the globe.