Vincenzo Italiano wants Bologna to be ‘more clinical in front of goal’ against Aston Villa and make sure the Europa League quarter-final ‘isn’t a comfortable night for them.’
It kicks off at Villa Park in Birmingham at 20.00 UK time (21.00 CEST).
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The situation is extremely difficult after losing the first leg 3-1 at home last week, although once again the performance was considerably better than the result would suggest.
Italiano wants courageous Bologna
ROME, ITALY – MARCH 19: Vincenzo Italiano, Head Coach of Bologna, reacts during the UEFA Europa League 2025/26 Round of 16 Second Leg match between AS Roma and Bologna FC 1909 at Stadio Olimpico on March 19, 2026 in Rome, Italy. (Photo by Paolo Bruno/Getty Images)
“I would love to play five minutes tonight, though I couldn’t manage more than that,” smiled Italiano on Sky Sport Italia.
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“It’s a fantastic environment, the team is strong, I expect a different match to the one that we saw on Thursday, but we’ll play our cards. The important thing is to match their intensity, try to cause problems for them when we’ve got the ball, and we’ll see what happens.”
BOLOGNA, ITALY – APRIL 09: Vincenzo Italiano, Head Coach of Bologna, talks with Federico Bernardeschi of Bologna prior to the UEFA Europa League 2025/26 Quarter-Final Leg One match between Bologna FC 1909 and Aston Villa FC at Stadio Renato Dall’Ara on April 09, 2026 in Bologna, Italy. (Photo by Alessandro Sabattini/Getty Images)
Curiously, Bologna only lost two Europa League matches this season, and they were both against Aston Villa, after the September 25 defeat in Birmingham to open the league phase.
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“We must try to keep the ball, as Aston Villa let you keep it for a bit, and we need to quality to attack with everyone we can get into the box, also be wary when we lose the ball, and be more clinical in front of goal than we were in our last two trips here.”
Jhon Lucumi is suspended, with Lukasz Skorupski, Thijs Dallinga and Benjamin Dominguez injured, but Martin Vitik returns from his ban.
“Aston Villa will have their usual approach, they even have a two-goal advantage, so will be the same as the previous meetings. When we defend, we’ve got to defend well, but above all must prove that we can hurt them when we’ve got the chance. I believe we can do that.”
There are also some options that Bologna can call from off the bench at Villa Park.
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“We have Odgaard, Sohm and Pobega who can attack, Cambiaghi and Orsolini, so we’ll see how the game develops and then evaluate.
“I want to see the maximum desire to cause them problems, to ensure this isn’t a comfortable night for them, try to improve the result and leave here with our heads held high. I think courage is the right word, what we need in this stadium and against this opponent.
“These lads always bring out something extra at the crucial moments, and I believe they’ll do it again tonight,” concluded Italiano.
