Aston Villa vs Bologna Preview & Prediction | 2024-25 UEFA Champions League | League Phase
Click here for today’s sports betting tips from our expert analysts!
Unai Emery’s Aston Villa continued their magnificent start to the 2024/25 season at the weekend and they are now searching for three successive UEFA Champions League victories as they welcome Bologna to Villa Park this week.
KICK-OFF DATE/TIME: Tuesday 22nd October, 2024 - UK – 8:00pm / US ET – 3:00pm / US PT – 12:00pm
HOW TO WATCH ON TV: UK – TNT Sports / US – Not televised
HOW TO WATCH ONLINE: UK – discovery+ / US – Paramount+
ASTON VILLA PREVIEW: VILLA ON THE CHARGE
In their opening 11 matches across all competitions so far this season, Aston Villa have suffered just one defeat and that came against Arsenal in unfortunate circumstances in what was a generally even contest in mid-August. The Villains defeated Fulham by three goals to one at Craven Cottage at the weekend.
Unai Emery’s side began their UEFA Champions League campaign with an impressive 3-0 hammering of Young Boys in Berne in mid-September before then pulling off a famous win a few weeks ago as Jhon Duran scored a second-half stunner to give Villa a 1-0 victory over Bayern Munich at Villa Park.
BOLOGNA PREVIEW: IFFY BOLOGNA
Last season Thiago Motta led Bologna to their first UEFA Champions League qualification for the first time in over 60 years and he departed for Juventus over the summer with him being replaced by former Fiorentina boss Vincenzo Italiano. The visitors have struggled at the start of this season in both Serie A and the UEFA Champions League.
They have managed just one victory in ten matches across all competitions so far this season with just one point collected from their opening two UEFA Champions League matches against Liverpool and Shakhtar Donetsk. They most recently shared a 2-2 draw with struggling Genoa at the weekend.
ASTON VILLA TEAM NEWS: EVERYONE BACK
The likes of Boubacar Kamara, John McGinn and Jacob Ramsey have returned from long and short term injury issues to be fit and available for the visit of Bologna.
England international defender Tyrone Mings has been out for around 12 or so months with an ACL injury but he is regaining fitness and edging closer to a return to the pitch.
PREDICTED XI (4-2-3-1): Martinez; Konsa, Carlos, Torres, Digne; Onana, Tielemans; Philogene, Rogers, Ramsey; Watkins
UNAVAILABLE: Olsen (Injured)
QUESTIONABLE: Mings (Fitness)
BOLOGNA TEAM NEWS: FURTHER INJURIES
Scotland international Lewis Ferguson has been out with an ACL injury for quite some time but Bologna now have several other key first-teamers on the sidelines, too.
Martin Erlic has suffered a hamstring injury with Switzerland midfielder Michel Aebischer also out injured alongside former Juventus winger Samuel Iling-Junior.
PREDICTED XI (4-2-3-1): Ravaglia; Posch, Beukema, Casale, Miranda; Moro, Freuler; Orsolini, Odgaard, Dominguez; Castro
UNAVAILABLE: Erlic (Injured), Aebischer (Injured), Ferguson (Injured), Iling-Junior (Injured)
QUESTIONABLE: El Azzouzi (Injured), Ndoye (Injured)
KEY STATS
- Aston Villa have won seven and drawn one of their last eight group/league phase matches in UEFA competitions.
- Aston Villa have won seven of their last eight UEFA competition matches at home.
- Aston Villa have lost only three of their previous 17 European Cup/UEFA Champions League matches (W11 D3).
- Aston Villa have lost only two of their last 13 matches at home in all competitions (W7 D4).
- Aston Villa have won their last two UEFA competition matches at home against Italian opposition without conceding a goal – both were against Inter (2-0 1990/91 UEFA Cup second round and 1-0 1994/95 UEFA Cup first round).
- Aston Villa have only failed to score in one of their last 33 UEFA competition home games.
- Aston Villa have kept 11 clean sheets in their previous 17 European Cup/UEFA Champions League matches.
- Bologna are without a win in their previous three UEFA competition matches against English teams. Most recently, their 2-0 defeat against Liverpool on Matchday 2 of the 2024/25 UEFA Champions League. Their only other UEFA competition matches against an English club came in the 2002 UEFA Intertoto Cup when they lost 3-5 on aggregate to Fulham in a final (2-2 h, 1-3 a).
- Bologna have won only two of their last ten UEFA competition matches away from home (D2 L6).
- Charalampos Lykogiannis celebrates his 31st birthday on the day of this match. He could be the second Bologna player to make a UEFA Champions League appearance on their birthday this season after Santiago Castro who turned 20 on Matchday 1. The last Greek player to make an appearance in the UEFA Champions League proper on their birthday was Dimitris Siovas (27 years old on 16/09/15, Olympiacos vs Bayern)
ASTON VILLA VS BOLOGNA PREDICTION
Unai Emery is one of the best managers in European football and he has made a name for himself in European competition, winning four UEFA Europa League trophies with Sevilla and Villarreal, reaching another UEFA Europa League final with Arsenal and the semi-finals of the UEFA Champions League and the UEFA Europa Conference League with Villarreal and Aston Villa respectively. Bologna haven’t been awful this season and have perhaps been difficult to beat but it has been an underwhelming campaign with Villa the firm favourites for this one, especially with their home advantage.
ASTON VILLA VS BOLOGNA TIP: ASTON VILLA TO WIN
