Same again, please: Aston Villa v Bologna match preview and team news

Villa capitalised on home advantage in the Europa League round of 16 and now they need to do it again

The semi-finals of the Europa League are within reach. Not in hand and not unchallenged, but within reach.

Aston Villa couldn’t have done much more in the first leg of their quarter-final tie against Bologna. A 3-1 win away from home wasn’t enough to consider the job done but it certainly clarified Villa’s task in the second leg: hold their nerve and stand their ground.

They drew up the claret and blueprint in the previous round of the Europa League. After winning at Lille, Villa’s performance at Villa Park in the second leg was a brutal, beautiful thing.

The further Villa go in Europe’s secondary competition this season, the more we’re all going to talk about Unai Emery and his incredible record in the Europa League.

The second leg against Lille was proof of his value in these late stages of this specific tournament. Villa need that influence to strengthen now, to calcify, and converting a two-goal advantage against Bologna is just the first step of the rest of our Europa League lives.