Aston Villa looks to move to 3-0 in UCL play as they host Bologna. It is time to continue our Champions League odds series with an Aston Villa-Bologna prediction and pick.
Aston Villa has been great in Champions League play so far. They opened up with a 3-0 victory over Young Boys and would follow that up with a 1-0 victory over Bayern Munich. They are coming off a 0-0 draw with Manchester United in Premier League play. Meanwhile, Bologna is 0-1-1 in Champions League play. They opened up with a 0-0 draw with Shakhtar Donetsk and then would fall to Liverpool 2-0.
Here are the Aston Villa-Bologna Champions League odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
Champions League Odds: Aston Villa-Bologna Odds
Aston Villa: -170
Bologna: +480
Draw: +310
Over 2.5 goals: -120
Under 2.5 goals: -102
How to Watch Aston Villa vs. Bologna
Time: 3:00 PM ET/ 12:00 PM PT
TV: CBS Sports Network
Stream: fuboTV (Free Trial)
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Why Aston Villa Will Win
Aston Villa has been great in scoring this year. They have scored 21 goals in 11 total fixtures this year. That is good for 1.91 goals per game this season. Meanwhile, they have scored four goals in their two UCL games so far. They have also scored two goals in the first half in UCL play so far this year, while they average .73 goals in the first half overall.
Ollie Watkins has led the way this year. He has five goals and two assists, on an expected four goals and .7 assists this year in Premier League play. He has not scored yet in UCL play while having five shots. He does not have a shot on target yet in UCL play. Watkins does have an assist though. Meanwhile, Jhon Duran has four goals in eight appearances this year in domestic play. He has also scored coming off the bench in UCL play. Youri Tielemans has led the way so far for Aston Villa in UCL play. He has a goal and an assist so far. Tielemans has not scored in Premier League play but does have three assists.
Aston Villa has been solid on defense so far this year. Across all competitions, Aston Villa has allowed just 11 goals in 11 fixtures. Still, they have been great defensively so far in UCL play. In the two matches so far, they have not conceded a goal. Overall, Aston Villa has conceded six goals in their 11 total fixtures this year. Emiliano Martinez has been great so far. He has stopped all 12 shots he has faced. That includes stopping all seven shots he faced against a powerful Bayern Munich squad.
Why Bologna Will Win
Bologna has struggled to score overall this year. They have just nine goals in 11 total fixtures this year. They have yet to score in the UCL as well. The shot volume has been there for Bologna though. On the year, they are averaging 13.8 shots per match, with 31 percent of them going on the target. In UCL play they have 14.5 shots per game, but only 24 percent of the shots have hit the target so far.
Santiago Castro has the way for Bologna. In league play, he has three goals and an assist this year. Further, he has scored three goals on an expected 1.7 this year. He has not scored in UCL play but does have three shots with one on target. The major shooting threat in UCL play has been Riccardo Orsolini. He has six shots with one on target so far in UCL play. Still, he has not scored. In domestic league play, he has two goals this year. Giovanni Fabbian has also provided a spark this year. He has one goal in domestic league play while leading the team with two shots on target so far in UCL play.
Bologna has conceded two goals so far in UCL play this year. Overall, they are conceding 1.3 goals per match this year. Bologna has not been allowing many shots on target so far in UCL play. They have allowed just five shots on target so far in UCL play, but they have conceded two goals. Lukasz Skorupski has struggled at times this year. He is allowing 1.6 goals per 90 minutes so far in domestic league play with just a 52.9 percent save percentage.
Final Aston Villa-Bologna Prediction & Pick
Bologna has struggled overall this year. They have won just once in ten fixtures this year, but they have also lost just twice as well. Still, Aston Villa has lost just once in their 11 fixtures this year, falling 2-0 to Arsenal. They have struggled some as of late, winning two of their last four matches with two draws. Still, Bologna will struggle to score in this one. Take Aston Villa to win in a low-scoring game.
Final Aston Villa-Bologna Prediction & Pick: Aston Villa ML