Aston Villa host Bologna in Europa League group stage opener

Aston Villa will attempt to kickstart a faltering season when they host Bologna at Villa Park on Thursday evening in the opening round of Europa League group stage matches. Kickoff is scheduled for 8:00pm BST, and the match reunites the sides for the second successive season after Villa beat Bologna 2-0 at the same ground last October in Champions League group play.

Villa arrive under pressure after a sluggish start to their domestic campaign. The Premier League club remain without a league win after five matches, sitting 19th in the table, second from bottom, following two defeats, two draws and last weekend’s 1-1 draw with 10-man Sunderland in which Matty Cash’s deflected strike provided Villa’s only Premier League goal so far. The club were also knocked out of the EFL Cup on penalties by Brentford. Manager Unai Emery, who has won the Europa League four times as a coach, has publicly demanded more urgency from his players and is expected to tinker with his lineup.

Bologna come to England buoyed by last season’s Coppa Italia success, which secured them another European campaign. Their progress into consecutive continental competition is the first such run for the club in...