Aston Villa dey carry one leg already for inside Europa League quarter-final as dem dey wait for Bologna for Villa Park dis Thursday. Dem get two-goal lead from di first leg wey dem win for Italy. Ollie Watkins na di hero for dat match, as im score two goals for second half give Villa dat big advantage.
Bologna, wey dem dey call Rossoblu, never lose for house for European competition by at least two goals before dat match. Now dem dey face tough mountain to climb. Dem dey travel go Birmingham after dem win Lecce 2-0 for Serie A. Remo Freuler and Riccardo Orsolini score di goals wey make dem collect three points.
Unai Emery him Villa team dey return to Villa Park for dia first house match since March 22. For dat time, dem beat West Ham United 2-0. But dia last match for Nottingham Forest no too sweet, as dem manage to draw with help of own goal from Murillo.
Bologna away form na serious matter. Dem don win dia last seven competitive trips, including all three for Europa League. Di only two times dem lose for dia last 16 European games na against Aston Villa. Dem even lose 1-0 for Villa Park earlier dis season after John McGinn score.
Villa lineup likely go feature Martinez for goal, with Digne, Torres, Konsa, and Cash for defence. Onana, Tielemans, and McGinn dey midfield, while Rogers, Buendia, and Watkins dey attack. For Bologna side, Ravaglia dey goal, with Mario, Lucumi, Heggem, and Miranda for back. Ferguson, Freuler, Pobega, Bernardeschi, Castro, and Rowe dey complete di team.
Villa, wey win European Cup for 1982, dey enjoy dia third straight European campaign. Dem don win 10 of dia 11 Europa League games dis season. But for house, only one of dia last four competitive matches don pass di two-goal mark – dat na 4-1 loss to Chelsea for early March.
Bologna show strong performance for dia last Europa League away game against Roma for Round of 16. Dem need extra time eliminate Roma 5-4 on aggregate. Dia away form dey outstanding, and nobody go surprise if dem manage to score against Villa defence.
Villa dey score goals constant. Dem don score for each of dia last seven matches across all competitions. For Europa League specifically, dem don score 20 goals for dia last 11 games – dia longest European scoring run since 2007/08 season.
Bologna too dey find net. Dem don score for each of dia last three games. Di last time dem no score na for dia 2-0 house loss to Lazio before international break. Coach Vincenzo Italiano sabi how to arrange attack, and Rossoblu dey confident to score away from house.
Both teams likely go score for dis tight quarter-final second leg. Villa dey enjoy dia longest-ever European winning streak with eight straight victories. But dia performance for Nottingham Forest show some weakness wey Bologna fit exploit.
Villa only lose to Italian team for house one time for 1982/83, when Juventus beat dem 2-1 for European Cup Winners' Cup. Since dat time, dem don win four of five matches against Italian teams for Villa Park, and dem keep clean sheet for all five games.
Bologna dey come with plenty confidence from dia away form and recent win over Lecce. History show say dem don win both European ties wey dem trail by two or more goals after first leg – both games happen for 1990/91 Cup against Heart of Midlothian and Admira Wacker.
Rossoblu excellent away record fit guide dem to narrow victory for dis match. But Villa house advantage and individual quality mean say dem still fit progress on aggregate, even if dem draw or lose for di night.
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