Aston Villa vs Bologna predictions: Villa can earn first win of season
Aston Villa have scored just once in the Premier League this season
Bologna have lost their two Serie A away games, both by a single goal
Recommended bet: Aston Villa to win
Aston Villa take on Bologna in the Europa League on Thursday night and are still searching for their first win of the season.
Unai Emery's men are stuck in the relegation zone having struggled to score in the Premier League. Drawing three times and losing twice, the Villans found the net for the first time in Sunday's 1-1 draw at Sunderland.
Bologna head to Villa Park having lost their two games on the road in Serie A.
The Red and Blues lost the opening game of the campaign 1-0 at Roma and were defeated at the San Siro by AC Milan by the same scoreline.
The latest Aston Villa vs Bologna odds are available on LiveScore Bet
Team news
Amadou Onana has not played in September due to a thigh injury, while fellow midfielder Youri Tielemans has missed the last two games with a calf problem.
With a gap in the centre of the park, Boubacar Kamara made a timely return, starting in the draw at the Stadium of Light.
Bologna were without Nicolo Casale, Tomas Pobega and Ciro Immobile for Saturday's win over Genoa with all three players out due to hamstring injuries.
Ibrahim Sulemana underwent treatment for a knee injury on Monday and is a major doubt.
The stats
This is the second consecutive season Villa and Bologna meet in European competition – the Villans won 2-0 in last season's Champions League at Villa Park.
Bologna are winless in their last five European games against English opponents since a 1-0 win over Leeds in March 1967 in the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup.
Villa reached the Champions League quarter-finals last season before being eliminated by eventual winners Paris Saint-Germain.
They netted 23 goals in 2024/25, the most goals Villa have ever scored in a major European campaign.
Bologna were eliminated in last season's Champions League league phase, but are featuring in major European competition in consecutive seasons for the first time since 1998/99 and 1999/00 in the UEFA Cup.
The latest Aston Villa vs Bologna odds are available on LiveScore Bet
Prediction
Villa will be glad of the Premier League reprieve after a testing start to the season and will hope a win in the Europa League can kickstart their campaign at home and abroad.
The Villans have struggled to get going, particularly in front of goal, with manager Emery labelling his players' performance at Sunderland as "lazy".
The Spaniard will be eager to reenergise his team and see the group play with a fire in their belly when Bologna visit on Thursday.
Winning their two home games in Serie A, the Italians have had a mixed start to the season, but will be quietly confident of earning a positive result at Villa Park – having conceded only three goals in four games.
However, despite Bologna's solid rearguard, this could be the game where Villa finally click into gear.
