Aston Villa have kept five consecutive home clean sheets against Italian clubs in major European competition – the last player to score at Villa Park for an Italian team was Zbigniew Boniek in a 2-1 Juventus win in the European Cup in March 1983.
Since beating West Brom 3-1 at the Hawthorns in March 1967, Bologna have lost their five away visits to England in all European competition. They’ve lost to Leeds (1967, Fairs Cup), Fulham (2002, Intertoto Cup), Liverpool (2024, UEFA Champions League) and Aston Villa twice (2024, UEFA Champions League & 2025, UEFA Europa League).
Aston Villa have won 15 of their last 17 home major European matches (D1 L1), winning their last eight in a row. They’ve won five of their last six in the knockout stages at Villa Park, losing 4-2 to Olympiakos in the other in May 2024 in the Conference League.
Since losing 1-0 at Aston Villa in September this season, Bologna have won all five of their away matches in the UEFA Europa League. In the history of the UEFA Cup/ Europa League, only Hamburger SV in 2008-09 and FC Porto in 2010-11 have ever won six away games in a single season.
Aston Villa have won 10 of their first 11 UEFA Europa League games this season (L1), with Chelsea in 2018-19 and Villarreal in 2020-21 the only teams to match that feat in a campaign, both of whom went on to win the tournament in those respective editions.
Bologna lost 3-1 in the first leg against Aston Villa, the second UEFA Europa League in a row that they have conceded three goals – only one of the 67 teams to lose the first leg of a two-legged knockout tie in the competition by 2+ goals at home have gone on to progress, with Sevilla overcoming Real Betis in the 2013-14 round of 16 (0-2 home, 2-0 away, 4-3 on penalties).
Ollie Watkins has scored nine goals in major European competition for Aston Villa and could be the first player to reach 10 goals for the club (John McGinn and Peter Withe also 9); he could also be the second Villan to net in three consecutive European starts after John McGinn (a run of 4 between April 2025 and March 2026).
Bologna’s Jonathan Rowe has recorded the most ball carries of 5+ metres ending in a shot in the knockout stages of this season’s UEFA Europa League (8, 2 goals), as well as attempting (23) and completing (11) the most dribbles of any player.