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Aston Villa vs Bologna Preview & Prediction | 2025-26 UEFA Europa League | Quarter-Final

by Alex Lawes · April 13 2026, 14:37
Updated April 15 2026, 10:23
Aston Villa vs Bologna Preview & Prediction | 2025-26 UEFA Europa League | Quarter-Final
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For the fourth time in the last 18 months or so, Bologna will face Aston Villa with the Italians needing to overturn an unfortunate two-goal first-leg deficit.

Kick-off date/time:

How to watch on TV: UK – TNT Sports / USA – Not televised

How to watch online: UK – HBO Max / USA – Paramount+

Key stats

  • Following their 3-1 first‑leg victory, Aston Villa have now won all three of their previous UEFA meetings with Bologna — both earlier encounters coming in Birmingham: 2-0 in the 2024/25 Champions League league phase and 1-0 on Matchday 1 of this season’s Europa League.
  • Aston Villa are unbeaten in their last five UEFA matches against Italian opposition (W4 D1).
  • Aston Villa have won four and drawn one of their last five UEFA home matches against Italian teams, all without conceding.
  • Aston Villa have won one and lost two of their three UEFA two‑legged ties against Italian clubs, with their sole victory coming most recently — a penalty shoot‑out win over Inter in the 1994/95 UEFA Cup first round.
  • This is Aston Villa’s first quarter‑final in the UEFA Europa League era. They previously reached the last eight twice in the UEFA Cup, losing 4-3 on aggregate to Barcelona in 1977/78 and going out on away goals against Atlético Madrid in 1997/98.
  • Aston Villa have reached a UEFA quarter‑final for the third consecutive season — each time in a different competition. They beat Lille on penalties in the 2023/24 UEFA Europa Conference League and lost 5-4 on aggregate to Paris in last season’s UEFA Champions League quarter‑finals.
  • Aston Villa have won 14 of their last 16 UEFA competition matches (L2), including each of their most recent eight — the longest winning streak in the club’s UEFA history.
  • Aston Villa have won 16 of their last 18 UEFA home matches (D1 L1), including each of the last eight.
  • Aston Villa have won seven of their eight previous UEFA two‑legged ties after taking a two‑goal lead in the first leg. The only exception came against Inter in the 1990/91 UEFA Cup second round, when Villa won 2-0 at home but lost 3-0 in Italy. They have won all three ties in which they established a two‑goal advantage away from home in the first leg.
  • Bologna are winless in their six previous UEFA matches against English teams with one draw and five defeats.
  • Bologna’s only previous UEFA two‑legged tie against an English club was a 5–3 aggregate defeat to Fulham in the 2002 Intertoto Cup final.
  • This is Bologna’s first quarter‑final in the UEFA Europa League era – their debut season in the competition. They previously reached the last eight twice in the UEFA Cup, losing 3-1 on aggregate to Sporting CP in 1990/91 and beating Lyon 3-2 on aggregate in 1998/99.
  • Bologna’s only two defeats in their last 16 UEFA matches (W8 D6 L2) have both been inflicted by Aston Villa.
  • Bologna have won 13 of their last 16 UEFA two-legged ties.
  • Bologna have won their last five UEFA away matches.
  • This is the first UEFA two‑legged tie in which Bologna have gone into an away second leg trailing.
  • Bologna have won both UEFA ties in which they trailed by two goals or more after the first leg — both in the 1990/91 UEFA Cup, overturning a 3-1 loss to beat Hearts 4-3 on aggregate in the second round and in the third round recovering from a 3-0 defeat to Admira Wacker before progressing on penalties after levelling the tie 3-3.

Aston Villa vs Bologna prediction

In the first-leg of this UEFA Europa League quarter-final tie, Bologna were the better of the two sides for much of it before Aston Villa puled off an impressive 3-1 victory at the Renato Dall’Ara with a goal from Ezri Konsa as well as an Ollie Watkins brace.

Unai Emery, a four-time winner in this competition, leads his Villans side into this one on the back of a 1-1 draw with Nottingham Forest as they seek to cement themselves in the top five in the hunt for UEFA Champions League qualification. They now face a Bologna side that have been inconsistent throughout this calendar year and there is a bit of pressure growing on manager Vincenzo Italiano.

Home advantage should ensure Villa do come out on top in this one and see off a Bologna side that are profligate in attack and ineffective at the back.

Aston Villa vs Bologna tip: Aston Villa to win

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