Aston Villa Takes on Bologna in Europa League Clash

Birmingham, Sep 25 (AP) – Aston Villa is set to launch its Europa League campaign against Bologna this Thursday, aiming to turn around a dismal early season trajectory in the Premier League.

The English club boasts a formidable asset in its manager, Unai Emery, who holds a record unmatched by any other in the competition, having secured four Europa League titles—three with Sevilla and one with Villarreal.

Under Emery's guidance, Villa achieved fourth and sixth-place finishes in the last two Premier League seasons and reached the quarterfinals of the Champions League. However, this season the team has yet to claim a win in the Premier League, managing only a single goal across five matches and suffering an early exit from the English League Cup.

The clash against the Serie A side marks a rematch of last season’s Champions League encounter at Villa Park, where Villa emerged with a 2-0 victory.

Similarly grappling with domestic challenges, winless Rangers will face off against Belgium's Genk at Ibrox Stadium in Glasgow.

The line-up of other matches includes Salzburg hosting two-time champions Porto, Celta Vigo traveling to Stuttgart, Lyon visiting Utrecht, and Lille taking on Norway's Brann. Additionally, Go Ahead Eagles is set to make its debut against Romanian side FCSB, while Panathinaikos will face Young Boys.

The Europa League is adopting the 36-team league format similar to that of the Champions League, with teams playing eight distinct opponents in the league phase and being ranked in a single standings table. The opening round is divided over two days.

On Wednesday, Antony's late equalizer secured a 2-2 draw for Real Betis against Nottingham Forest.

(Only the headline of this report may have been reworked by Editorji; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)