Aston Villa vs Bologna Europa League preview, team news and prediction

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Aston Villa are close to the Europa League’s final four as they take a two-goal cushion into Thursday’s quarter-final second leg against Bologna at Villa Park.

Villa won 3-1 in Italy despite a slow start, surviving early scares before Ezri Konsa put them ahead and Ollie Watkins struck twice either side of Jonathan Rowe’s reply. Under four-time winner Unai Emery, Villa have now won eight straight matches in the competition and remain strong at home in Europe, with 15 wins in their last 17 European games at Villa Park.

Bologna , whose club-record unbeaten European run has ended, need a rare comeback to progress. Only one team has overturned a Europa League knockout tie after losing the first leg at home by two or more goals. They will go all-out in England, where they have not won since beating West Bromwich Albion 3-1 in 1967.

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After Emi Martinez pulled out shortly before kick-off on Sunday, it is unclear whether Aston Villa will again turn to deputy goalkeeper Marco Bizot.

Tyrone Mings is also a doubt, while Boubacar Kamara and Jadon Sancho remain sidelined. Ross Barkley, meanwhile, is unavailable after being left out of Villa’s UEFA squad, a situation that could open the door for either Douglas Luiz or Emi Buendia to feature in Unai Emery’s starting XI.

Ollie Watkins and captain John McGinn have been Villa’s main threats in this season’s Europa League, with three goals each. Both are also one strike away from becoming the club’s outright leading scorer in European competition.

Bologna, meanwhile, can call on two in-form attackers in Federico Bernardeschi and Rowe, who have scored five and four times respectively. Rowe has also both attempted and completed more dribbles than any other player in this season’s knockout rounds. Riccardo Orsolini is also pushing for a place in support of lone striker Santiago Castro after ending his goal drought with a late finish last weekend.

Vincenzo Italiano will be able to bring Martin Vitik back after suspension ruled him out of the first leg, but Jhon Lucumi will serve a ban on Thursday. Charalampos Lykogiannis and Thijs Dallinga must also prove their fitness, while Benjamin Dominguez and first-choice goalkeeper Lukasz Skorupski remain out.

With Skorupski still absent, either Federico Ravaglia or teenage stand-in Massimo Pessina — who started unexpectedly against Lecce — is set to deputise at Villa Park.

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