Aston Villa commences their UEFA Europa League campaign on Thursday, and they’ll do so by welcoming in Italian side Bologna FC 1909. Not a whole lot has changed, team news wise, from the score draw with Sunderland this past weekend to this upcoming continental competition. Victor Lindelof returned to the bench on Sunday, and went an unused substitute. Maybe he features here, and perhaps that will even be from the opening kick? Ross Barkley remains away on personal leave, so he is not expected back for this one.
UEFA Europa League Matchday 1 of 8
Bologna FC 1909 at Aston Villa
Kickoff: Thurs Sept. 25, 8pm, Villa Park, Birmingham, UK
Aston Villa Team News
Then you have the trio of Villans who remain sidelined for the longer term.
Youri Tielemans, Amadou Onana and Andres Garcia could be all in contention on the weekend, when they host Fulham on Sunday. However, they won’t be available on Sunday. So let’s get to the first team prediction already. Expect some squad rotation here.
Some of the guys who featured off the bench on Sunday should be on the pitch at opening kickoff here.
Aston Villa Starting XI Prediction
Emiliano Martinez; Matty Cash, Ezri Konsa, Pau Torres, Harvey Elliott; Lamare Bogarde, John McGinn; Emiliano Buendia, Jadon Sancho, Donyell Malen; Ollie Watkins
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to USA Today’s NFL Wires Network. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, the Washington Post and ESPN. You can follow him on Linked In and Twitter