Bologna FC 1909 v Aston Villa Pre-Match

[Dave]

Martinez
Cash
Konsa
Torres
Digne
Onana
Luiz
McGinn
Watkins
Rogers
Beundia

Tielemans off the bench, Bailey and Abrahams as options

Reckon I'd go full 2024 - so that, but Tielemans instead of Buendia playing at 10, Maatsen instead of Digne. Rogers pushed up closer to Watkins and slightly left of centre, McGinn tucked in, right of centre.

[LeeB]

Really looking forward to the game now. This is the start of the business end of the season. Let's go and do a proper job, the lads should be pretty much rested and raring to go. Time to step it up a gear or two. We know Bologna will throw everything at us but no doubt Unai has a plan and it usually works.

European football is often like a game of chess and we have a Grand Master leading us.

0-3 Villa (Rogers, Watkins and whoever takes our penalties).

Hoping we begin this stretch of games looking like we
 mean business.

I reckon we will. We've always been streaky under Emery (with the good ones massively outweighing the bad, obviously). We've done a bad one, started a good one with McGinn and Youri back and a run of favourable fixtures.

Reckon we'll look back in June and wonder what all the panic was about.

This is where I am. It was the second half of the Lille game, just felt like we'd suddenly come out of the woods and everything was right again, from that point I've felt confident again.

[eamonn]

So their manager's surname is Italiano. I though that kind of thing only happened to Stephen Ireland and Nicky English.

[eye digress]

Really looking forward to the game now. This is the start of the business end of the season. Let's go and do a proper job, the lads should be pretty much rested and raring to go. Time to step it up a gear or two. We know Bologna will throw everything at us but no doubt Unai has a plan and it usually works.

European football is often like a game of chess and we have a Grand Master leading us.

0-3 Villa (Rogers, Watkins and whoever takes our penalties).

Hoping we begin this stretch of games looking like we
 mean business.

I reckon we will. We've always been streaky under Emery (with the good ones massively outweighing the bad, obviously). We've done a bad one, started a good one with McGinn and Youri back and a run of favourable fixtures.

Reckon we'll look back in June and wonder what all the panic was about.

All the stars are aligned in that direction, barring Kamara’s absence. I want us to be one of those teams that not only wins, but looks like it’s going to win.

[Demitri_C]

A draw to take back to VP wouldnt be a bad result at all. Just need to keep in it for the 2nd leg and keep our disapline  no reds

[Dave]

A draw to take back to VP wouldnt be a bad result at all. Just need to keep in it for the 2nd leg and keep our disapline  no reds

Politically, Bologna's very well-known for its reds.

[SamTheMouse]

Finally, proper football's back. Feels like it's been aaaaaaaaages.

Hopefully the team haven't forgotten how to play.

[usav]

Martinez
Cash
Konsa
Torres
Digne
Onana
Luiz
McGinn
Watkins
Rogers
Beundia

Tielemans off the bench, Bailey and Abrahams as options

Reckon I'd go full 2024 - so that, but Tielemans instead of Buendia playing at 10, Maatsen instead of Digne. Rogers pushed up closer to Watkins and slightly left of centre, McGinn tucked in, right of centre.

Digne tonight, Maatsen next week.