Bologna, Aston Villa clash in Europa League quarter-finals
Meeting for the third time in two seasons, Aston Villa and Bologna will convene at Stadio Dall’Ara for the first leg of their Europa League quarter-final on Thursday evening.
After losing twice in England, the Italian side are now aiming to extend a long streak without European defeat; meanwhile, Villa will seek an eighth straight win in UEFA’s second-tier tournament.
More than a fortnight since their last competitive fixture, Aston Villa can finally hit the home straight, resuming their quest to stay within the Premier League’s top five and lift the Europa League trophy.
Now occupying fourth place in England’s top flight, the Villans are locked in a multi-club tussle for a top-five finish, sitting five points above Liverpool and six clear of Chelsea.
However, before they get back to business in Bologna, Villa will have gone two-and-a-half weeks without a meaningful game since beating West Ham: international football intervened, then they sat out last week’s FA Cup action.
On the plus side, their Basque boss is an expert at negotiating the Europa League’s latter stages, having won it four times already – and Emery has prevailed in both tactical battles against Vincenzo Italiano.
Well-acquainted with their next opponents, Bologna have been unable to land a blow on Aston Villa across two recent meetings.
In Serie A, the hosts have earned 11 more points away from home than at the Dall’Ara, so Villa can at least leave Emilia-Romagna on level terms.
Credit: sportsmole.co.uk
Porto welcome Nottingham Forest to the Estadio Do Dragao
Porto welcome Nottingham Forest to the Estadio Do Dragao on Thursday for the first leg of their Europa League quarter-final.
The hosts defeated Stuttgart to progress to this round, while the visitors bested Midtjylland in their round of 16 tie.
Porto are enjoying an impressive 2025-26 season, with the Dragons still in the running for three different trophies.
Porto’s last defeat actually came in the first leg of their Taca de Portugal semi-final tie against Sporting, losing 1-0, but they have bounced back with four wins and two draws in their subsequent six matches.
Porto will be hopeful of maintaining that momentum when they take on Nottingham Forest in the Europa League, and they will be particularly confident at their home ground.
Nottingham Forest secured a 2-0 triumph against Porto on matchday three of the league phase back in October, which actually marked just the Tricky Trees’ second win of the season across all competitions.
While Forest have booked their place in the quarter-finals of the Europa League, they are battling against relegation from the English top-flight.
Nottingham Forest may have defeated Porto in their matchup earlier this season, but Thursday’s hosts have gone on to enjoy a significantly stronger season and are in a much better place coming into this clash.
Credit: sportsmole.co.uk
Freiburg, Celta Vigo faceoff in quarter-final first leg
Bundesliga club Freiburg will welcome La Liga outfit Celta Vigo to the Europa-Park Stadion for today’s Europa League quarter-final first leg.
The side that prevails over the two legs will go on to face Braga or Real Betis in the semi-finals.
Having successfully navigated their way to the Europa League quarter-finals, Freiburg are dreaming of going all the way to win their first-ever major trophy in May’s final in Istanbul.
The German outfit advanced straight to the last 16 after securing a top-eight spot in the league phase with a return of five wins, two draws and one defeat in eight matches.
Freiburg are now preparing to face Spanish opposition in European competition for the first time since losing 2-0 home and away to Sevilla in the 2013-14 Europa League group stage.
While they have experienced disappointment in their last two domestic Bundesliga home matches, Freiburg can take confidence from the fact that they have won each of their previous nine European outings at Europa-Park Stadion, since losing 2-1 to West Ham United in the 2023-24 group stage.
Celta Vigo, meanwhile, are hoping to follow in the footsteps of Sevilla, Atletico Madrid, Real Madrid, Valencia and Villarreal by becoming the sixth different Spanish team to win the Europa League/UEFA Cup.
Freiburg have won each of their previous nine European home games, but they are set to face a Celta side that have avoided defeat in each of their last eight competitive away matches.
Credit: sportsmole.co.uk
Crystal Palace host Fiorentina in Conference League fixture
Playing in their first-ever European quarter-final, Crystal Palace welcome Fiorentina to Selhurst Park for the first leg of their UEFA Conference League tie on Thursday night.
After a goalless draw at home, the Eagles edged past AEK Larnaca in the round of 16, securing a 2-1 win after extra time in Greece, while Fiorentina overcame Rakow Czestochowa with 2-1 victories both home and away to book their place in the quarter-finals.
After a difficult spell between mid-December and the end of January, when Crystal Palace failed to register a single win, they have rediscovered form at a crucial stage of the season.
The Eagles are now unbeaten in their last four matches across all competitions and can take added confidence from their strong European run, having avoided defeat in their last six Conference League games.
It has nevertheless been a frustrating campaign overall, as Palace made a bright start to the 2025–26 season by going unbeaten in their opening 10 matches before losing momentum, with the squad impacted by the departure of several key players.
Oliver Glasner’s side have struggled for consistency at Selhurst Park, winning just three Premier League games at home, but they are capable of raising their level in a high-stakes encounter such as this.
Fiorentina are regular participants at this stage of UEFA competitions, but this marks their first meeting with an English side since the 2023 Conference League final in Prague.
Experience could prove decisive, as Fiorentina have reached at least the semi-finals in each of their previous three Conference League campaigns and possess a strong pedigree in knockout football.
The statistics strongly favour Fiorentina, who have won 15 of their last 16 two-legged European ties, while they have been less convincing against English opposition.
Credit: sportsmole.co.uk
Conference League Fixtures
Rayo Vallecano 17:45 AEK Athens
Crystal Palace 20:00 Fiorentina
The post Today’s UEFA Europa & Conference Leagues Quarter-final Matches appeared first on The Ghanaian Chronicle.
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