Aston Villa settled back into Premier League life well after the international break with a convincing 3-1 away win at Fulham, with all attention now shifting back to Champions League action.
Villa have also picked up confident victories in Europe’s most prestigious competition, namely last time out when Jhon Duran’s late strike was the difference between the West Midlands side and the might of Bayern Munich on a famous night at Villa Park.
Still, despite Unai Emery’s men boasting some impressive recent form, the ex-Arsenal manager could be tempted to make some changes to his XI for the test of Bologna tonight.
Those potential changes could well see Leon Bailey drop out of the first-team fold, as the Spaniard contemplates two alterations…
1 GK – Emiliano Martinez
Emiliano Martinez came up trumps in that away win at Craven Cottage, saving a penalty when the game was finely poised at 1-1, and will get the nod to start in between the sticks again.
After all, the Villa ‘keeper did make a mind-blowing seven saves versus Bayern to keep Vincent Kompany’s men at bay.
2 RB – Ezri Konsa
The first change could see Matty Cash drop out of the XI for Ezri Konsa to fill in at right-back, with Cash just back from an injury layoff.
The Poland international might not be risked for the showdown with Bologna, with Konsa a capable replacement having kept a clean sheet from this spot against Bayern.
3 CB – Diego Carlos
Diego Carlos will likely keep his spot even if Cash is sacrificed, as the Brazilian centre-back impressed versus Fulham.
The 31-year-old’s calm passing out from the back saw him only misplace three of his 51 passes on the day and he will be eager to follow up this top Premier League showing with a shutout in midweek.
4 CB – Pau Torres
Pau Torres also shone against Marco Silva’s men in patches, despite allowing Raul Jimenez to score early on for the hosts.
Torres is also one for these big occasions in the Champions League, having now amassed 14 games in the competition, with his last outing seeing him assist Duran’s dramatic winner.
5 LB – Lucas Digne
Yet to miss a game in the Premier League or Champions League for his side this campaign, Lucas Digne feels like a shoo-in for a start.
Digne has also picked up two assists from his ten games this season, with the potential for him to make it three against the visitors from Italy.
6 CM – Amadou Onana
Amadou Onana has been a fantastic summer buy for Emery’s men so far, having impressed with his goalscoring ability with three goals from ten clashes to date.
One of those strikes came in the Champions League up against Young Boys in Villa’s opening taste of the competition, with Onana potentially hungry for more goals when Bologna come to town.
7 CM – Youri Tielemans
Onana will also give Villa some needed grit in the holding midfield positions, with his partner in crime and fellow Belgian Youri Tielemans a creative force for the top-flight club when on his A-Game.
He certainly was playing at the peak of his powers against Fulham, amassing 92 touches of the ball with an assist coming his way courtesy of Ollie Watkins finding the back of the net for 2-1.
8 RM – John McGinn
The second alteration Emery will ponder making is dropping Bailey for a fresher right midfielder to enter the team, with Bailey poor at Craven Cottage.
The Jamaican winger would see the game pass him by, with possession squandered 17 times in total, which could open the door for John McGinn to come in down the right flank.
Jaden Philogene is also in for a shout, but after his quickfire red card at Fulham, Emery might opt to play his “relentless” Scotsman instead, as he was once labelled by football journalist Mat Kendrick.
9 CAM – Morgan Rogers
There will be no doubts in the air as to who starts in the attacking midfield spot tonight, with Morgan Rogers continuing to excel for Villa in recent games.
The ex-Middlesbrough ace fired home Villa’s first goal of the clash against Fulham and will want to leave his mark on Europe’s grandest stage tonight.
10 LM – Jacob Ramsey
Jacob Ramsey also entertained the Villa away masses in West London by putting in a top-drawer showing, with the Villa number 41 assisting Rogers’ opener among other bright moments.
The homegrown Villa prodigy will hope he can unlock Bologna tonight in a similar manner, as his boyhood employers potentially make it three victories from three.
