Vincenzo Italiano has warned his players that they must be at their best to beat Aston Villa in the Europa League
Bologna manager Vincenzo Italiano
Bologna manager Vincenzo Italiano(Image: Getty Images)
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Bologna manager Vincenzo Italiano insists his team must "play a perfect game" to beat Aston Villa on Thursday night.
The Serie A side have lost twice to Villa in the past 18 months, including earlier this season at Villa Park in the Europa League, but defeated AS Roma 5-4 on aggregate in the round of 16 stage.
Bologna's home form has been poor in recent months, winning just twice in 14 games and losing half of those, but they are unbeaten in 11 matches in the Europa League.
“Anything can happen over 180 minutes,” Italiano said. “We know Villa’s strengths and weaknesses. We were able to test this in the games we played before. What we know is that this is a tough team, which does really well in the Premier League.
“They play with the same principles, they are strong, and they have amazing individual players. It’s a team with great value, and we will have to play a perfect game to win.
“If you look at the football that they put into practice, especially in terms of set-pieces, it tells you how many dangers there are. Tielemans, McGinn, their other midfielders, Rogers - they are all very dangerous in set-pieces because they are strong physically too.
“It is simple football, but done in the best possible way. The team knows how to retrieve the ball and counter-attack. It is a team of great value in every way. Pau Torres, even under pressure, knows how to restart actions. We have to be able to suffer and be concentrated to play the perfect match.”
He added: “We start this game, and everyone knows how difficult it will be, but we have to prove to everyone our values and strengths. We will try to put on the pitch lots of quality, and we know the opponent.
“Every match is different. In the previous games, it was a single match for both clubs. We have to manage 180 minutes this time. The first game is always important because it gives you the chance to play the return match in a different way. We are very happy to be here. We have to play our chances.”
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