Aston Villa Form and Lineup
Aston Villa drew 1:1 away to Nottingham Forest in the latest Premier League round. The team rotated (in the attacking line only McGinn played the full match) and still created more chances than their motivated opponents: 5-4 in shots on target, 3-1 in big chances.
Sancho, Kamara and Alisson remain injured, but they were not key players in the squad.
Important Aston Villa stats:
- Aston Villa have scored in seven home matches in a row. In four of them the bet Both teams to score – Yes has won.
- Aston Villa already have five players with 3+ goal involvements in the Europa League. At the same time the team advanced straight from the main phase to the last 16.
- Villa have collected 32 points in 16 Premier League home matches – the fourth-best record.
- Since early March Aston Villa have played with Both teams to score – Yes in five of eight matches in all competitions (including a friendly against Elche).
Potential Aston Villa Lineup (4-5-1): Marko Bizot – Matty Cash, Ezri Konsa, Pau Torres, Lucas Digne – John McGinn, Youri Tielemans, Amadou Onana, Morgan Rogers, Emiliano Buendia – Ollie Watkins.
Bologna Form and Lineup
Bologna, after the Europa League match against Villa, beat a weak Lecce 2:0 in Serie A. The team scored early, but the score remained nervy right up to the final whistle – they found it hard to convert chances into goals (2.16 xG, 12 shots and 64% possession). The side clearly lack depth: Castro and Freuler are playing almost without substitution, so the absences of Dallinga and Lykogiannis are noticeable.
Important Bologna stats:
- Bologna have lost both of their matches in Birmingham since the start of last season (0:2, 0:1).
- Bologna have scored at least one goal in 11 consecutive away matches.
- Bernardeschi (5+0) and Rowe (4+2) are both in the Europa League's top-10 scorers. They will get chances in attack.
Potential Bologna Lineup (4-5-1): Federico Ravaglia – Nicolo Casale, Nadir Zortea, Joao Mario, Juan Miranda – Tommaso Pobega, Remo Freuler, Lewis Ferguson, Federico Bernardeschi, Jonathan Rowe – Santiago Castro.
Who Will Referee the Match
Jose Maria Sanchez Martinez (Spain)
Matches – 12 (international fixtures, 2025/26);
Yellow cards shown (including second yellows) – 37;
Average yellow cards per match – 3.1;
Red cards shown – 2;
Average fouls per match – 26;
Penalties – 17%.
