The 21-year-old joined the Serie A side on loan for the season back in August, despite moving to Villa in a permanent deal from Juventus in June. Now after being named in the Italian side’s travelling squad, he could come back to bite his parent club.
Unlike in the Premier League, UEFA competitions permit players to feature against their parent clubs and now after Iling-Junior missed Bologna's last match with Genoa he is fully fit to face Unai Emery’s side.
The midfielder could make his first appearance at Villa Park with some fans viewing it as an opportunity to see the youngster's potential after being flown off immediately to Italy in search of game time.
Iling-Junior has discussed the Bologna project and why he made the move to try and develop further as a player.
"I spoke to the manager and I understood that there wasn’t much space for me and since I appreciate honesty I preferred to look for a team where I could have more chances," he said.
"Here in Bologna there is a great project, as I had already seen last year. In the summer I moved to Aston Villa then came the offer from Bologna, a city that I like with a manager that I respect and I decided to come here. I was already struck by the environment, the fans last year, and I liked it a lot."