Simon Dalton presents his prediction for the Europa League match.
This is one of the standout ties of the opening round and arguably across the Europa League as a whole. Aston Villa and Bologna could easily have been in the Champions League, yet circumstances have brought them together one tier below.
Aston Villa
They are clear contenders to progress directly to the last 16 if their performances come together, yet there are issues, at least for Aston Villa. The team scored their first goal only in Matchweek 5 of the English Premier League. They were the last team in the competition to find the net. Even so, Aston Villa still took only one point against Sunderland (1:1). The opponent was a newly promoted side and, from the 33rd minute, played with ten men. After their goal, the opposition equalised even with ten men. The squad are currently in the relegation zone.
Bologna
In the off-season, Bologna lost one of last season’s key contributors, Dan Ndoye (9+6), and first-choice centre-back Sam Beukema, yet the team have started the new Italian Serie A campaign relatively well: two wins, two draws and a mid-standings position. The opening schedule was not straightforward: AS Roma (0:1), high-spending Como (1:0), AC Milan (0:1), and Genoa (2:1). The team snatched it in the 99th minute in that match.
Aston Villa vs Bologna Prediction
It is clear that Bologna both score few and concede few, so Aston Villa, for whom goals do not come in every match, look close to a poor result. Even so, we will not back that outcome; instead, the selection is the under.
