"Starting with the hosts, suffering major heartbreak back in May as they eventually fell short in the race to book another famous Champions League ticket, some were wondering if Aston Villa would show any signs of a hangover this time around. Although Unai Emery's men might have opened up the 2025/26 campaign with their sights set on mounting a genuine top-four charge, the former Arsenal boss has seen his squad drastically fail to find any kind of fluidity."
"Both still dealing with respective muscle issues, Aston Villa will once again be without the Belgium duo of Youri Tielemans and Amadou Onana on Thursday night. Facing a quick turnaround in midweek, Emery could be tempted to make a handful of alterations. Both completing Deadline Day deals to the Midlands, Jadon Sancho and Harvey Elliot could feature from the start. Former Chelsea starlet Ian Maatsen could replace Lucas Digne at left-back."
Aston Villa begin their Europa League campaign at home against Bologna while struggling for form and goals after failing to win any of their first six matches. Unai Emery's side drew 1-1 at Sunderland and have only scored once in the Premier League so far. Tielemans and Onana remain sidelined with muscle injuries, and Emery may rotate; Deadline Day signings Jadon Sancho and Harvey Elliot could start, with Ian Maatsen a possible left-back. Bologna earned a morale-boosting 2-1 win over Genoa but continue to seek domestic stability despite their historic Coppa Italia triumph.
Read at Soccer News
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