John McGinn’s first-half strike from distance gave Aston Villa a well timed first win of the season because the Premier League facet began the 2025/26 Europa League with victory over Bologna at Villa Park.
Captain McGinn drilled in a exact low end within the thirteenth minute to attain the Villans’ first residence purpose of the season and begin their league part in fashion in opposition to the Coppa Italia holders.
John McGinn will get Aston Villa’s first residence purpose of the season!
He offers his facet the lead in opposition to Bologna within the thirteenth minute 💥
📺 @tntsports & @discoveryplusUK pic.twitter.com/gbCYIuB7lB
— Soccer on TNT Sports activities (@footballontnt) September 25, 2025
Santiago Castro nearly equalised when Riccardo Orsolini, who scored Bologna’s 99th-minute winner with a penalty at residence to Genoa in Serie A on Saturday, crossed for the ahead to go in opposition to the crossbar.
You possibly can relive 101GreatGoals.com’s dwell textual content updates from Aston Villa vs Bologna here.
Aston Villa vs Bologna: McGinn purpose
Villa had been indebted to a long-range purpose by Matty Money for his or her draw at Sunderland on Sunday, and McGinn’s was a piece of higher precision from a participant whose 4 targets from outdoors the field in main European competitions are probably the most of any participant because the begin of the 2023/24 season.
Bologna, who’ve gained and misplaced two every of their first video games in Serie A, struggled to meaningfully threaten and had been repeatedly caught out by their opponents’ alert offside entice.
Third-bottom of the Premier League, Villa are subsequent in motion at residence to seventh-placed Fulham on Sunday (14:00 BST / 09:00 ET / 06:00 PT).
Bologna, who’re eleventh in Italy, go to backside facet Lecce on the identical day (17:00 BST / 12:00 ET / 09:00 PT).
Aston Villa crew vs Bologna
Midfielders Amadou Onana, Ross Barkley and Youri Tielemans and wideman Andres Garcia remained out for Villa by harm however defender Victor Lindelof was on the bench once more, having returned from a difficulty within the draw at Sunderland.
Morgan Rogers was Villa’s high scorer on their run to the Champions League quarter-finals final season, contributing 4 targets and three assists in 12 appearances.
Aston Villa beginning XI: Marco Bizot, Matty Money, Ezri Konsa, Pau Torres, Ian Maatsen, Boubacar Kamara, John McGinn, Evann Guessand, Morgan Rogers, Emiliano Buendia, Donyell Malen
Aston Villa substitutes: Victor Lindelof, Tyrone Mings, Harvey Elliott, Ollie Watkins, Lucas Digne, Andres García, Jadon Sancho, Lamare Bogarde, Sam Proctor, Bradley Burrowes, Rhys Oakley
Bologna crew vs Aston Villa
Ciro Motionless was the joint-top scorer within the 2017/18 Europa League for Lazio however Bologna’s new signing was out with a hamstring harm.
Tommaso Pobega additionally had a hamstring drawback and fellow midfielder Ibrahim Sulemana sustained a knee harm whereas representing Ghana earlier in September.
Bologna beginning XI: Lukasz Skorupski, Nadir Zortea, Martin Vitík, Jhon Lucumí, Charalampos Lykogiannis, Lewis Ferguson, Remo Freuler, Jens Odgaard, Federico Bernardeschi, Santiago Castro, Nicolo Cambiaghi
Bologna substitutes: Emil Holm, Nikola Moro, Riccardo Orsolini, Jonathan Rowe, Federico Ravaglia, Torbjorn Heggem, Thijs Dallinga, Massimo Pessina, Juan Miranda, Giovanni Fabbian
Aston Villa Europa League fixtures, outcomes 2025/26
Villa’s opponents within the league part embody reigning Israeli champions Maccabi Tel Aviv and Swiss title holders Basel.
Fenerbahce had been runners-up in Turkiye and Salzburg completed second in Austria, whereas Bologna (Italy), Go Forward Eagles (Netherlands) and Younger Boys (Switzerland) gained the first home cup competitions of their nations.
Feyenoord, who gained the second of their UEFA Cup titles in 2001/02, completed third within the Eredivisie however had been knocked out of Champions League qualifying.
All fixtures begin at 20:00 GMT / 15:00 ET / 12:00 PT until acknowledged in any other case.
Thursday, September 25: Villa 1-0 Bologna
Thursday, October 2: Feyenoord vs Villa
Thursday, October 23: Go Forward Eagles vs Villa (17:45)
Thursday, November 6: Villa vs Maccabi Tel Aviv
Thursday, November 27: Villa vs Younger Boys (17:45)
Thursday, December 11: Basel vs Villa
Thursday, January 22, 2026: Fenerbahce vs Villa (17:45)
Thursday, January 29: Villa vs Salzburg
Aston Villa Europa League squad 2025/26
Villa’s Record A Europa League squad has been registered till the spherical of 16 in February 2026, when golf equipment can add a most of three new gamers throughout the current restrict of 25.
Goalkeepers: Emi Martinez, Marco Bizot
Defenders: Matty Money, Victor Lindelof, Ezri Konsa, Tyrone Mings, Lucas Digne, Pau Torres
Midfielders: Andres García, Ian Maatsen, John McGinn, Youri Tielemans, Jadon Sancho, Amadou Onana, Boubacar Kamara, Harvey Elliott
Forwards: Emi Buendía, Ollie Watkins, Donyell Malen, Morgan Rogers, Evann Guessand
Record B submissions, comprised of gamers born after January 1, 2004 who’ve been eligible to play for the membership for an uninterrupted interval of two years since their fifteenth birthday, will also be made till midnight earlier than every match.
Aston Villa Europa League schedule 2025/26
In a change from the earlier group stage held till 2023/24, every crew now performs eight matches within the league part, all in opposition to totally different opponents.
The highest eight sides within the desk qualify mechanically for the spherical of 16. The groups ending in ninth to twenty fourth will compete in a two-legged knockout part play-off to achieve the final 16.
Groups ending twenty fifth or decrease are out of Europe for the season.
Knockout part play-offs: February 17/18 & 24/25 2026
Spherical of 16: March 10/11 & 17/18 2026
Quarter-finals: April 7/8 & 14/15 2026
Semi-finals: April 28/29 and Could 5/6 2026
Remaining: Could 30 2026
When are the Europa League attracts?
Knockout part play-offs: January 30 2026
Spherical of 16, quarter-final, semi-final, and ultimate: February 27 2026
Which English golf equipment are within the Europa League 2025/26?
Villa certified by ending sixth in 2024/25, though they’d have been within the Champions League had they not misplaced at Manchester United on the ultimate day.
Nottingham Forest’s participation comes after they had been promoted from the Convention League due to a UEFA ruling in opposition to FA Cup winners Crystal Palace, upheld by the Court docket of Arbitration for Sport.
When is the Europa League ultimate?
The final will happen on Could 20 2026 on the Besiktas Stadium residence of 16-time Turkish champions Besiktas.
The stadium hosted a dramatic 2019 Tremendous Cup ultimate, Chelsea and Liverpool every scoring as soon as throughout common and additional time earlier than the Reds gained on penalties following the 2-2 draw.
watch Aston Villa within the Europa League: TV channel, stream
TNT Sports activities have the dwell broadcast rights to the Europa League within the UK.
TNT Sports activities prices £29.99 a month by discovery+, which incorporates Eurosport and leisure.
dwell stream Aston Villa Europa League video games on-line
TNT Sports activities’ discovery+ app permits followers to live-stream video games on an unlimited vary of units together with sensible TVs and gaming consoles.
