The first leg of the 2025/26 UEFA Europa League quarter-finals will kick off, with Aston Villa traveling to face Italian side Bologna. At a press conference, Unai Emery stated his hope to make history with Aston Villa in this competition, but also emphasized that winning the title on this stage is no easy feat.

In the second leg of the Europa League Round of 16, Aston Villa defeated Ligue 1 side Lille 3-0 on aggregate, thanks to goals from McGinn and Leon Bailey, thus continuing their European campaign.

In head-to-head records, Aston Villa have won their last two Europa League matches against Bologna, giving them a psychological advantage.

Aston Villa manager Unai Emery said, "Our two previous matches against them at Villa Park have given us a good understanding of Bologna, and their style of play tomorrow will be similar. They are very focused on intensity and aggression in their tactics, have a strong team cohesion, and create a lot of physical battles. We will use the information we gained from our previous matches against them to try to understand how the game might go."

"First and foremost, we can see that they beat Roma, and it was a well-deserved victory. This coach leads a very competitive team, and he has reached the final three times in the last three years. There are many teams like this in Italy. We had a similar feeling when we played against Bologna and Atalanta in Spain. They played very clearly and consistently and won a lot of duels."

Emery pointed out, "They are also a team that actively seeks physical contact, so it won't be easy for us to gain an advantage in position and tactical structure; it will be very difficult. We have to adapt because the essence of competition is adapting to the opponent and the demands of the game. We have done a lot of preparation, reviewing previous performances against them with the players and conducting targeted tactical drills in training."

"Tomorrow will be a huge challenge for both the players and me. The key is how we can perform at a high level in the 90 minutes against Bologna."

Furthermore, Emery stated, "Aston Villa has a rich history, one of the most iconic moments being winning the Champions League. This makes us feel a great responsibility as we are with a club that has achieved success in Europe. Personally, I have felt at ease over the years and am grateful to the teams I have managed for giving me the opportunity to win this competition or compete in the Champions League and Europa League."

“Every stage presents different challenges. The past is history, and achieving our goals again is the challenge we face. We work hard with the players every day to add a new chapter to the club's history, but winning in European competitions is extremely difficult.”

Image source: Internet