Aston Villa vs Bologna: Prediction , Preview, Lineups, H2h for September 26, 2025

On 25 September 2025, Aston Villa will face Bologna in Birmingham for the opening round of the Europa League group stage. The match will start at 21:00 Central European Time. Let’s examine the odds and determine a likely winner.

Aston Villa

Aston Villa enters the Europa League with a winless streak. The team has had a rough beginning to the season, unable to secure a victory in any competition — recording four draws and two losses. In their latest match against newly promoted Sunderland, Villa had a player advantage but managed only a 1-1 draw. In the league, they have only accumulated 3 points from five games, placing them 18th, with one goal scored and five conceded. Their League Cup run ended poorly as they lost to Brentford in a penalty shootout.

However, Aston Villa can take some confidence from last season when they reached the Champions League quarter-finals, showing good performance. They hope to make a strong impression in the Europa League. Historically, they have faced Bologna once before in last year’s Champions League group stage, winning 2-0.

Bologna

Bologna comes into the Europa League as last season’s Coppa Italia champions. Although they finished ninth in Serie A, their cup win secured them a spot in Europe. Their league season has begun with two away losses to Roma and Milan, both 0-1, but they bounced back with two home victories — 2-1 over Genoa and 1-0 against Como. They currently have 6 points, putting them in 11th place.

On the road, things have not gone their way, suffering defeats in both matches without scoring. Overall, their games have been low-scoring, with three of their four matches featuring only one goal.

Probable line-ups

• Aston Villa: Martínez, Cash, Konsa, Torres, Digne, Kamara, McGinn, Ghesan, Rogers, Sancho, Watkins.
• Bologna: Skorupski, Dzortea, Vitik, Lucumí, Miranda, Freuler, Ferguson, Fabbian, Orsolini, Cambiaghi, Castro.

Key facts and head-to-head stats

• Aston Villa has not won 7 of their last 8 matches.
• Six of Villa’s last 7 games have had under 2.5 goals.
• Bologna has lost 3 of their last 4 away games.
• Bologna has conceded the first goal in 3 of their last 4 matches.
• Four of Bologna’s last 5 away matches have ended with under 2.5 goals.

Prediction for Aston Villa vs Bologna

Aston Villa is struggling at the start of the season and will aim to turn things around at home. With a past victory against Bologna, they can draw confidence from that encounter. Expect the home team to control the game and try to gain an early lead as they begin their Europa League journey. My prediction for this match is an Aston Villa win at odds of 1.86.