Bologna captain Lewis Ferguson has issued a rallying cry ahead of their daunting Europa League quarter-final second leg against Aston Villa, insisting his team "still believe" in a historic comeback. Despite trailing 3-1 from the first leg in Italy, the Scotland international emphasized that the tie is far from over.

"A lot of people on the outside might think at 3-1 it has finished the tie, but there are still 90 minutes to play and we’ve not given up," Ferguson told TNT Sports. "We’ve got nothing to lose now. We will give it absolutely everything."

Ferguson pointed to the positives from the first leg, where Bologna felt they matched the Premier League side for large periods. "Large parts of the game we dominated... the first half, we created a good few chances," he said, referencing a disallowed goal and a shot off the bar. "At this level it’s fine lines. It’s moments that cost us."

One player capable of creating those decisive moments is English winger Jonathan Rowe, who scored Bologna's crucial away goal at Villa Park. Ferguson was effusive in his praise for the in-form attacker, calling him the team's standout performer.

"In the last three months, he’s been on fire. He’s been our best player," Ferguson stated. "He’s the sort of guy we look to make the difference in games... He’s such a good out-ball to have because we know when he receives the ball, something is going to happen. He can create, score goals, assist—he’s got everything to be a top player."

With Bologna having become a noted talent factory for the Premier League, recent exports like Riccardo Calafiori and Joshua Zirkzee have shone in England. While Rowe's electric form is sure to attract similar attention, Ferguson's immediate focus is solely on the monumental task at Villa Park, where his team will need that "on fire" spark to ignite a stunning European turnaround.