Aston Villa skipper John McGinn was a focus of Bologna’s pre-match press conference
Lewis Ferguson of Bologna and Aston Villa’s John McGinn(Image: Getty Images)
John McGinn’s name was mentioned more than any other by Italian reporters at Bologna’s pre-match press conference ahead of facing Aston Villa.
At least five questions were put to Vincenzo Italiano and McGinn’s compatriot Lewis Ferguson, who were in attendance for the club’s media briefing at Bologna’s Renato Dall’Ara Stadium.
McGinn scored in both of Villa’s wins over Bologna in the last 18 months, with his strike against them back in September being the only goal of the game.
That was Villa’s first victory of the season after they went six games without a win in all competitions, before claiming 19 wins from their next 21 games.
After the turn of the new year, Villa’s form dropped, and McGinn was out injured for two months before returning for the trip to Lille in the Europa League round of 16.
Scoring in the second-leg victory at Villa Park and then in a crucial 2-0 win over West Ham before the March international break, McGinn has again been the catalyst for the club’s turnaround in form.
Both Italiano and Ferguson are well aware of the midfielder’s qualities and the threat he will pose on Thursday.
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“McGinn, I think, in the first match was a winger, and then in the last match was a midfielder,” Italiano started. “He is a very intelligent player, and their coach, when he needs him to play in different positions, does that.
“He is good at shooting from far and attacks from deep to the goal. We will see what position he is in tomorrow, and then we will see what to do.”
McGinn’s compatriot, Ferguson, added: “We played together for three or four years in the national team. As you know, he is a strong player and is captain of the team. He scored two goals against us. I know him very well, and tomorrow, in the midfield, it will be a big challenge.
“Recently, in the last week or so, we haven’t spoken, but we did speak before that in the international break. There is nothing to speak about. We are just looking forward to another challenge against him.
“He’s a top player and a top guy. They are a side which is filled with players at the top level and have a top manager too. We believe that we have a squad here that can do something special.”
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