Aston Villa vs Bologna Prediction and Betting Tips takes us to Villa Park on Thursday night, where Unai Emery’s men try to shake off a rocky start against the Coppa Italia holders. For more insights, you can explore Europa League Predictions from XpertStats tipsters. It’s not just another game: Villa need this.

• Aston Villa remain winless in domestic competition this season, scoring just twice in all competitions.
• Bologna lifted the Coppa Italia last season and qualified for Europe in consecutive years for the first time in decades.
• Unai Emery has won the Europa League four times and holds the competition’s all-time record for most victories as a manager.
• Bologna have never beaten an English team in European competition, with their last attempt ending in defeat at Villa Park.

Aston Villa haven’t won a single league match yet this season, and that’s beginning to wear on the mood in Birmingham. A frustrating 1-1 draw with 10-man Sunderland last weekend summed things up: hesitant finishing, shaky confidence, and fans restless for answers. Still, Emery knows this competition like the back of his hand. Four trophies, five finals in his last five full campaigns  , if there’s ever a stage for him to reset the story, it’s the Europa League. Can his side flip the switch?

Emery’s squad isn’t at full strength either. Youri Tielemans and Amadou Onana are sidelined, Ross Barkley can’t be registered, and Ollie Watkins looks like a man playing with the weight of the world on his shoulders. Yet Villa fans cling to history: unbeaten at home in Europe last season, scoring freely in a run that took them to the Champions League quarter-finals. If Emery can coax that version of Villa back, Bologna could be in trouble.

But let’s not overlook Bologna. Vincenzo Italiano’s side may lack European pedigree against English opponents, but they arrive with belief after last season’s Coppa Italia triumph. That 1-0 victory over AC Milan in Rome gave them their first major silverware in over 50 years : a statement moment. Even so, their domestic form remains patchy. Two wins at home, two losses away. And now they head to one of England’s toughest atmospheres.

Still, Bologna have their weapons. Riccardo Orsolini remains the heartbeat in attack, fresh off scoring a dramatic stoppage-time penalty against Genoa. Santiago Castro looks sharper with each match, while Thijs Dallinga lurks as a cup specialist. Yet the injury list is a headache: no Casale, Pobega, Sulemana, or Immobile. Italiano has made his name as a cup fighter, but now he faces the Europa League’s grand master. How will his Rossoblu stand up to the test? With Villa wobbling, don’t be shocked if the Italians fancy their chances. This could be tighter than many expect, making Europa League Predictions all the more intriguing this week.