BOLOGNA, Italy (AP) — Aston Villa has traveled to Italy to play Bologna in the opening leg of the Europa League quarterfinals on Thursday.
Villa advanced to the last eight in Europe for the third straight year. It is fourth in the Premier League and on course to qualify for the Champions League next season.
Bologna has reached its first quarterfinal of a European competition after eliminating one of the favorites, fellow Serie A club Roma, in extra time in the round of 16.
Bologna and Villa met in the opening game of the league phase, with the Premier League club winning 1-0, and in the Champions League last season. Then, Aston Villa won 2-0. The two games were contested at Villa Park and captain John McGinn scored in both.
Another English club, Nottingham Forest, will be in action away at Porto in a meeting of two former European champions.
Porto has reached a European quarterfinal for the first time since 2014 while Forest returned to Europe for the first time in 30 years this season.
In the league phase, Forest beat Porto 2-0 at the City Ground.
Freiburg hosts Spanish team Celta Vigo after the Bundesliga side made a European quarterfinal for the first time. Celta is seeking to reach a semifinal for the second time after it was eliminated by Manchester United in the last four in 2017.
In the Conference League, Crystal Palace hosts Fiorentina in London in the first leg between two of the favorites of the third-tier competition.
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
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