Bologna vs Aston Villa Europa League quarter-final preview: Where to watch, predicted line-ups

Bologna and Aston Villa are preparing to face off for a second time this season in the first leg of their UEFA Europa League quarter-final tie.

Where to watch the game on TV

Fans can find their local UEFA Europa League broadcast partner(s) here.

What you need to know

Bologna and Aston Villa kicked off their league phase campaigns with a Birmingham showdown, John McGinn's 13th-minute finish deciding a close encounter, and they meet again in the last 8 after impressing against Roma and Lille respectively.

Vincenzo Italiano's men showed they were well-equipped to deal with the chaos that knockout football frequently induces in that round of 16 tie, winning a 4-3 second-leg thriller in Rome after extra time. For the Villans, it was all about confidence and control – their defence was unbreached across the two legs while Ollie Watkins, Leon Bailey and McGinn got on the scoresheet.

Though they also met in last season's Champions League, this is the first time Villa have travelled to Bologna in UEFA competition, with that league phase meeting last season – a 2-0 Villa win – also taking place at Villa Park.

Possible line-ups

Bologna: Ravaglia; João Mário, Casale, Lucumi, Miranda; Ferguson, Freuler, Pobega; Bernardeschi, Castro, Rowe 

Aston Villa: Martínez; Cash, Konsa, Torres, Digne; Onana, Tielemans; McGinn, Buendía, Rogers; Watkins

Form guide

Bologna

Form: WLWWDL (most recent first)
Latest: Cremonese 1-2 Bologna, 05/04, Italian Serie A

Aston Villa

Form: WWLWLL
Latest: Aston Villa 2-0 West Ham, 22/03, English Premier League

Views from the camps

Vincenzo Italiano, Bologna coach: "It's a tough challenge but we have to show what we are made of. The first leg is crucial, because it sets the tone for the return leg. We have the skills to do well. We have to take every opportunity. It is up to us to feed our fans' passion. We know that Aston Villa are stronger than us on paper, and it is fine to acknowledge that, but with the support of the fans we can reduce that gap."

Unai Emery, Aston Villa coach: "Bologna beat Roma and Vincenzo Italiano has played three finals in the last three years. So I have great respect for Bologna and I know very well what the difficulties will be. It will be very important for us to adapt to their aggression while maintaining our own style. The qualification chances are 50-50. We must be resilient when they press us and patient when we don't have the ball."

Reporter's view

Paolo Menicucci, match reporter

Both teams seem to be back to top form after a difficult period and it promises to be a very entertaining and balanced tie. Aston Villa defeated Bologna twice in the last two European campaigns, both times in a single game in Birmingham. Bologna hope a two-legged tie could lead to a different result as coach Vincenzo Italiano is yet to lose in such ties in his entire career, having reached the UEFA Conference League final twice with Fiorentina before joining the Rossoblù.