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Aston Villa vs Bologna Competition – Europa League Stadium: Villa Park Date: 16th April 2026 Kick-off time – 20:00 GMT
Aston Villa host Bologna at Villa Park on Thursday night for the second leg of this Europa League quarter-final, carrying a commanding 3-1 advantage from the first leg in Italy. The Lions are firmly in control of this tie and need only avoid a two-goal swing to book their place in the semi-finals, while Bologna face an enormous uphill task if they are to turn this around in the West Midlands.
Villa head into this game in solid form and with the confidence that comes from that first-leg performance in Bologna. Their most recent outing was a 1-1 draw away at Nottingham Forest in the Premier League — a result that, while not a victory, keeps them ticking over domestically. Prior to that came the decisive 3-1 win away at Bologna in the first leg, which has given them such a strong platform for Thursday. Before that, a 2-0 home win over West Ham in the league, and earlier in this run, a 2-0 home victory over Lille in the previous round of this competition. The one blemish in the run was a 3-1 loss away at Manchester United. Three wins and a draw from four outings since that defeat represents a fine return, and the aggregate cushion means Villa can approach this evening with a degree of composure that Bologna simply cannot afford.
Bologna’s situation is stark. They need to score at least three goals in Birmingham while keeping a clean sheet, or win by two and hope the match goes to extra time. Their form gives them cause for cautious optimism — their most recent outing was a 2-0 home win over Lecce in Serie A, a confidence-boosting result going into this game. Prior to that came the 3-1 first-leg defeat, and before that, a 2-1 win away at Cremonese. Earlier in this run, a 2-0 home loss to Lazio and a remarkable 4-3 win away at AS Roma in the previous European round. Bologna have shown they can score goals in Europe, but conceding three in the first leg has left them with a mountain to climb.
The dynamic of the tie is simple — Bologna must attack from the first minute and cannot afford to concede. Villa, in turn, will be happy to manage the game, stay organised, and pick off their opponents on the counter. The atmosphere at Villa Park on a European knockout night has been a genuine weapon for the hosts this season, and that will be no different on Thursday. For Bologna, the task of undoing a two-goal deficit across 90 minutes would be difficult enough — doing so against a side this settled and well-organised on home turf borders on the improbable.
The head-to-head record across the three previous meetings between these sides heavily favours Aston Villa, who have won all three without dropping a point. Most recently, Villa won 3-1 away at Bologna in the first leg of this tie. In the previous encounter, Villa won 1-0 at home against Bologna in the Europa League earlier this season.
Villa have been dominant in every meeting with Bologna and have every advantage going into Thursday — home ground, form, and a two-goal aggregate cushion. Expect them to manage this professionally and look to reach the semi-finals.
Aston Villa — Last 5 Games
| Result | Home Team | Score | Away Team | Competition | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| D | Nottingham Forest | 1-1 | Aston Villa | Premier League | Apr 12, 2026 |
| W | Bologna | 1-3 | Aston Villa | Europa League | Apr 9, 2026 |
| W | Aston Villa | 2-0 | West Ham United | Premier League | Mar 22, 2026 |
| W | Aston Villa | 2-0 | Lille | Europa League | Mar 19, 2026 |
| L | Manchester United | 3-1 | Aston Villa | Premier League | Mar 15, 2026 |
Bologna — Last 5 Games
| Result | Home Team | Score | Away Team | Competition | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | Bologna | 2-0 | Lecce | Serie A | Apr 12, 2026 |
| L | Bologna | 1-3 | Aston Villa | Europa League | Apr 9, 2026 |
| W | Cremonese | 1-2 | Bologna | Serie A | Apr 5, 2026 |
| L | Bologna | 0-2 | Lazio | Serie A | Mar 22, 2026 |
| W | AS Roma | 3-4 | Bologna | Europa League | Mar 19, 2026 |
Head to Head — Last 3 Meetings
| Home Team | Score | Away Team | Competition | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bologna | 1-3 | Aston Villa | Europa League | Apr 9, 2026 |
| Aston Villa | 1-0 | Bologna | Europa League | Sep 25, 2025 |
| Aston Villa | 2-0 | Bologna | Champions League | Oct 22, 2024 |
TV Listings / Streaming
| Country | Channel |
|---|---|
| Great Britain | TNT Sports 2, HBO Max |
| Ireland | TNT Sports 2, Premier Sports ROI 2, HBO Max |
| USA | Paramount+, ViX |
| Canada | DAZN Canada, fuboTV Canada |
| Germany | RTL+ |
| Australia | Stan Sport |
| Portugal | DAZN2 Portugal, DAZN Portugal |
| Italy | — |
| Norway | Viaplay Norway |
| India | — |
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