Champions League: Aston Villa vs Bologna – The Great Encounter
October 22. 22:00. Birmingham. “Villa Park”
Chief Judge: Joao Pinheiro (Portugal)
Broadcast: Megogo Football 7
Ah, Birmingham! Home of tea, biscuits, and now, an impending Champions League clash that’s more anticipated than the latest season of a Netflix series you’ll eventually forget about. Yes, it’s Aston Villa, the Villains, facing Bologna, known for their love of draws almost as much as a cat loves knocking over vases. One win from Bologna this season; can they surprise us – and themselves – at Villa Park?
Aston Villa News
Unai Emery’s men have been painting the town claret and blue this Champions League season with paint so fresh it could give Banksy a run for his money – two wins, no goals conceded! And let’s not forget that sweet victory over Bayern. That was like finding a tenner in your old jeans pocket; a delightful surprise. Their last defeat? A 2-0 loss to Arsenal, but hey, even the best stumble once in a while, right?
With only two draws in their last five matches, Villa are aiming to continue their upward trajectory. Although, let’s be real for a second – if they hadn’t beaten Bayern, wouldn’t we all still be whispering “they’re just good against weak teams”? Still, fans are excited! And when you’ve lost to the likes of Ipswich, it’s not a long fall into a pit of despair. Just a gentle hop!
News from Bologna
Now let’s check in on Bologna – the team that revels in the art of… **not** losing! One win this season, and it was against Monza. I mean, come on, I’ve had more exciting weekends at home! With a reputation as Europe’s very own pacifist team, they’ve managed three draws and one unfortunate defeat. Their last four matches have yielded more equal signs than a mathematician’s notebook. They scored zero against Parma and somehow let a match against Genoa turn into a wild 2:2 showdown.
Tournament Table
(Table data would typically go here, but let’s not bore ourselves too much!)
Figures and Facts
- This is the first-ever match between Aston Villa and Bologna – hold onto your hats!
- In 7 of Aston Villa’s last 9 matches, the “over 2.5 goals” bet has been popular – they’re in a scoring mood!
- In 4 of Bologna’s last 6 matches, it was a “under 2.5 goals” affair – let’s just say they’re not winning any awards for offense!
Personnel Situation, Tentative Compositions
Unai Emery just has Robin Olsen and Tyrno Mings nursing injuries. So, essentially, he’s assembling a squad that resembles a well-stocked buffet. Meanwhile, Bologna’s hero list looks like a hospital waiting room, with key players out, resulting in what might be a desperate scramble on the field.
Aston Villa, 4-2-3-1: Martinez – Konsa, Carlos, Torres, Digne – Onana, Tielemans – McGinn, Rogers, Ramsay – Watkins
Bologna, 4-2-3-1: Skorupski – Posch, Beukema, Lucumi, Miranda – Freuler, Moro – Orsolini, Fabbian, Karlsson – Castro
Broadcast of the Match
Catch all the action live on Megogo. Because obviously sneaking a peek at your phone during a family gathering is not quite the same!
Bets and Odds for the Match
Forecast from UA-Football
TM 2.5 — 2:0. Predictions are like that one friend who always thinks they can get a date with a celebrity. “Birmingham’s better on paper!” they shout. “Bologna’s doomed!” Well, if it unfolds purely as expected, they might just lift that relegation fear with a defeat. Who knows? The best part of football is the eternal unpredictability – well, unless you’re Bologna, apparently.
This forecast is merely a suggestion. As unpredictable as a stray cat at a dog show!
Champions League. League stage. Third round
October 22. 22:00. Birmingham. “Villa Park”
Chief Judge: Joao Pinheiro (Portugal)
Broadcast: Megogo Football 7
Vincenzo Italiano’s team will again meet with an opponent representing Foggy Albion, they will again have to fly to the island and hope for a positive result. Problems both with the game and with the results continue.
Will the Italians be able to surprise not only Villa, but the whole of Europe at Villa Park? Even a likely draw already looks like a surprise. Let’s take a closer look at who is approaching this match and in what form.
Aston Villa news
Unai Emery’s men are having a perfect season in the Champions League so far, having won two victories in the first two matches and not even conceded a single goal. In the first round, Young Boys were practically unnoticed on the road (3:0), and then they sensationally beat Bayern at home (1:0). It was after the last victory over Munich that the Villans began to be looked at differently in Europe; they are not here just to serve their numbers and quietly get eliminated in the early stages.
Villa’s last defeat was on August 24, when they lost to Arsenal (2:0), although even there they had many chances to turn the tide of the match. In the last 5 meetings they have 3 wins and 2 draws. Ipswich and Manchester United managed to take points from Brimingham. And if there are no questions about the game with the Mancunians, then they should have won against Ipswich.
If it weren’t for the victory over Bayern, everyone would have accused them of only being able to play against weak teams. Because a series of good results in the Premier League was essentially accompanied by matches without majors, and when there were matches, there were draws and defeats. “Bologna” certainly does not look like a grand team, so expectations are especially high.
News from Bologna
As much as Vincenzo Italiano’s team loves to play in a draw, it is difficult to find a more peace-loving team in Europe. This season they actually won only one match, it happened against Monza on September 22. After that there were three draws and one defeat.
First, they signed a peace deal with Atalanta (1:1), then lost to Liverpool away (0:2), didn’t score goals with Parma (0:0), and last Saturday they tied with Genoa 2 :2. That is, their form is not improving and they, as before, could not control their matches, and still have not learned. The departure of Thiago Motta from the team and the sale of individual performers could not but affect this team.
In the Champions League, they still received one point, this happened in the match against Shakhtar in the first round, when everything ended in a 0:0 draw, although even there there was an option to lose, given the missed penalty from Sudakov.
Tournament table
Figures and facts
- This will be the first ever match between Aston Villa and Bologna, they have not previously met even in friendly matches;
- In 7 of Aston Villa’s last 9 matches there was a TB rate of 2.5;
- In 4 of Bologna’s last 6 matches, the bet was TM 2.5.
Personnel situation, tentative compositions
The only personnel loss for Unai Emery’s team is Robin Olsen, who would not have been in the starting lineup anyway, as well as Tyrno Mings, who continues to recover from a serious injury. Everyone else is ready to take the field.
Even at full strength, Bologna had problems playing, and with many players set to miss the match due to injury, things only get more complicated. Vincenzo Italiano cannot count on Michel Aebischer, Dan Ndoye, Nicolo Cambiaghi, Oussman El Azzouzi, Samuel Illing-Junior, Martin Erlik and Lewis Ferguson is a doubt.
“Aston Villa”, 4-2-3-1: Martinez – Konsa, Carlos, Torres, Digne – Onana, Tielemans – McGinn, Rogers, Ramsay – Watkins
“Bologna”, 4-2-3-1: Skorupski – Posch, Beukema, Lucumi, Miranda – Freuler, Moro – Orsolini, Fabbian, Karlsson – Castro
Broadcast of the match
Bets and odds for the match
Forecast for the match between Aston Villa and Bologna from UA-Football
TM 2.5 — 2:0. Besides the fact that Birmingham have a stronger team on paper, are in better shape and also play at home, they also have almost no injuries, unlike their Italian rivals. It seems that Bologna are doomed to defeat here, unless something unexpected happens.
This forecast is only one of the possible scenarios, it does not guarantee a win.
