Can the Villans hold on to their lead?
After a commanding 3-1 first-leg victory in Bologna, Aston Villa continues its march through the Europa League. With their second win in two matches against Bologna this Europa League season, they also ended the Italians’ 11-game unbeaten streak in European competition.
At home, the English side has also been dominant, winning all five of their Europa League home games so far while conceding just three goals. In our Aston Villa vs. Bologna prediction, we’re therefore backing another home win.
Aston Villa enters this matchup in an extremely strong position, which is clearly reflected in their current form. The team is virtually unbeatable at home: 15 wins from their last 17 home games in European competition underscore their enormous dominance. Furthermore, Villa has won their last eight home games in a row, consistently impressing defensively—against Italian teams, they’ve even gone five consecutive home games without conceding a goal. In our Aston Villa vs. Bologna prediction, we once again can’t imagine them conceding a goal.
The team has also been delivering consistently this season: ten wins from their first eleven Europa League matches this season show that the team is not only stable but also efficient. Ollie Watkins epitomizes this development, as he could become only the second Villa player ever to score in three consecutive starts.
FC Bologna, on the other hand, arrives with mixed feelings, even if their recent away results in the competition offer hope. Following their defeat in Birmingham in September, Bologna has won all five subsequent away games in the Europa League—an impressive streak that has historically been surpassed by only a few teams. However, Thursday’s Aston Villa vs. Bologna betting odds are hardly influenced by this.
Nevertheless, their record in England remains a clear problem: five away games, five losses speak for themselves. The starting position after the 1-3 loss in the first leg is also far from ideal, especially since teams rarely advance after a home defeat by a margin of two or more goals. Defensively, Bologna has recently shown weaknesses, having conceded three goals in each of two consecutive knockout matches.
Aston Villa – Bologna Head-to-Head Record
The head-to-head record between Aston Villa and Bologna has so far clearly favored the English side. In a total of three matches—one in the Champions League and two in the Europa League—Aston Villa not only remained unbeaten but won all three games. The clear goal difference is particularly striking: while Villa scored six goals, Bologna managed just one.
Aston Villa – Bologna Prediction
Aston Villa is, of course, the clear favorite going into this match and has won its last eight consecutive home games in European competition. In addition, in a total of eleven Europa League games this season, they have suffered only a single defeat and conceded just seven goals.
Bologna, on the other hand, also has a strong record in this Europa League season, losing only two of their 13 matches—though both were against their Birmingham opponents. The Italians tend to struggle against English teams and have lost all five of their away matches in England so far. To date, they have managed to score just a single goal in three matches against the Villans—that goal came in the first leg.
