Aston Villa vs Bologna Tips & Preview - Struggling defences to offer up goals

By Tolu Shotade

3 hours ago

Tolu Shotade 3 hours ago

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Aston Villa and Bologna kick off their Europa League campaign at Villa Park.
Both teams have underperformed and shown defensive weaknesses this season.
Previous meeting saw Villa win 2-0 at home, with all goals in the second half.

Aston Villa vs Bologna

Aston Villa welcome Bologna to Villa Park for their opening fixture in the league phase of the UEFA Europa League.

Both teams have been well below their best this season and will view Thursday's clash as a chance to get their groove back. One of the issues is the unconvincing backlines, which could make for a thrilling contest in this one.

Aston Villa News

Aston Villa enjoyed a solid European campaign last season as they progressed all the way to the quarter-finals before losing to eventual winners PSG. They will be hoping for something similar and will target a strong start in Thursday's opener.

The problem for Aston Villa is that they head into this clash playing well below their best, having failed to secure a single win across all competitions this season. Unai Emery’s team were held to a 1-1 draw at Burnley in a Premier League fixture last weekend.

Aston Villa have scored first in their last two matches but are constantly let down by poor defending, failing to keep a clean sheet in four of their last five matches. Their last two fixtures have also produced more goals after the break.

Bologna News

Bologna struggled to cope with the quality in the Champions League last season and crashed out in the league phase after picking up just one win. They will be keen for a much better campaign in the Europa League and will look to start on a positive note.

It has been a mixed start to the season for Bologna, who have picked up two wins and suffered as many defeats from four Serie A matches. Those two wins have come at home, with Vincenzo Italiano’s team earning a 2-1 league victory over Genoa last weekend.

Like the hosts, Bologna have also struggled to maintain their discipline at the back and are without a clean sheet in three of their last four matches. However, they have scored in two of the last three fixtures, while all four of their matches have produced more goals after the break.

Head to Head

The only previous meeting between Aston Villa and Bologna came in the league phase of last season’s Champions League. The Villans claimed a 2-0 home victory, with both goals coming after the break.

Verdict

Aston Villa v Bologna

Aston Villa have a knack for scoring first and should grab the opening goal for the third straight match. With neither defence looking convincing at the moment, both teams are likely to score here.

Both teams have a habit of leaving things late, and last season's Champions League meeting also had all the goals in the second half. A similar pattern is on the cards in Thursday's clash.

Aston Villa

To Score First Goal

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Yes

Both Teams to Score

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Second Half

Highest Scoring Half

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