Italian club head to Birmingham with the odds stacked against them.
Captain Lewis Ferguson says Bologna have “nothing to lose” as they attempt one of the greatest comebacks in Europa League history against Villa on Thursday night.
Bologna, trailing 3-1 from last week’s first leg in Italy, are aiming to become just the second team since the competition was rebranded from the Uefa Cup in 2009 to overturn a two-goal deficit on the road.
The only previous occurrence was in 2014 when Sevilla, then managed by Unai Emery, claimed a 3-0 second leg victory to dump out city rivals Real Betis 3-2 on aggregate.
Throw in Villa’s formidable home record since returning to European competition two seasons ago and it is clear to see why the odds are stacked against the visitors.
Yet Ferguson is refusing to give up.
”Anything can happen, and we still believe,” the Scotland international told Sky Sports.
”A lot of people on the outside might think at 3-1 it has finished the tie, but there are still 90 minutes to play and we’ve not given up. We’ve got nothing to lose now. We will give it absolutely everything.”
Thursday is Bologna’s second trip to Villa Park this season and their third in the last two campaigns.
Both previous visits have seen them leave beaten, including a 1-0 defeat on the opening night of this season’s Europa League.
Villa, meanwhile, boast one of the best home records in Europe since the start of the 2023-24 season, winning 16 out of 18 ties. Their only defeat was against Olympiacos in a Conference League semi-final first leg.
A repeat of that 4-2 scoreline on Thursday would at least see Bologna force extra-time. Since losing to Villa in September, they have won their last five away Europa League matches, including a 4-3 after extra time win at Serie A rivals Roma to earn a 5-4 aggregate victory.
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