Italiano: ‘50/50’ for Aston Villa against Bologna despite being ‘superior on paper’
Italiano: ‘50/50’ for Aston Villa against Bologna despite being ‘superior on paper’ Vincenzo Italiano believes that Bologna have a ‘50/50’ chance of beating Aston Villa over two legs of their Europa League quarter-final despite the fact that the Premier League side are ‘superior on paper’. The Rossoblu will host the Villains at the Dall’Ara on Thursday evening for the first leg of their Europa League quarter-final tie. The reverse fixture will be played at Villa Park on April 16.
Bologna claimed a surprise 5-4 aggregate victory over Serie A opponents Roma in the round of 16 in order to qualify for this stage of the competition. Aston Villa, meanwhile, claimed two round of 16 victories over Lille and qualified with a 3-0 aggregate scoreline. Villa are the odds-on favourites to go on and win the Europa League title this season, but Bologna head coach Italiano believes that ‘anything can happen’ over two legs, and that his side have a ‘50/50’ chance of qualifying for the semi-finals.
Italiano previews Bologna vs. Aston Villa: ‘It’s 50/50’ “It’s 50/50. You all know how complicated this match is, but we have to prove our value, our strength and our qualities,” Italiano said during his pre-match press conference on Wednesday.
“We know the opponents because we’ve already faced them twice, but each match tells a different story. “We will have to manage the game over 180 minutes. Tomorrow is important because the first game gives you the opportunity to set up for the second leg in a certain way.
We have every chance to do it. We have to take our chances because it is a big pride to be in the final eight. ” Bologna have the home ‘advantage’ for Thursday’s quarter-final first leg, but oddly that is something that may worry Bologna, who have lost six of the seven Serie A matches that they have played at the Dall’Ara in 2026.