One point apart in Serie A, mid-table pair Bologna and Udinese will meet at Stadio Dall’Ara on Monday.
While back-to-back wins have brightened the Rossoblu’s mood, the Friulani have lost both of their last two matches.
Match preview
Having slumped down the Serie A standings – winning just two of their last 13 league fixtures – and seen their Coppa Italia defence ended, Bologna may now consider the Europa League their main focus.
A distant 10th place in the table, Bologna recently lost to Lazio in the cup quarter-finals, surely closing their last domestic route back into Europe.
So, beating SK Brann 1-0 in the first leg of their Europa League playoff will have come as a relief for under-fire coach Vincenzo Italiano.
Days after ending a run of four league defeats by beating Torino, Santiago Castro was the Rossoblu’s matchwinner once again in Norway, putting his team within reach of the last 16.
Now seeking back-to-back league wins for the first time since November, Bologna will try to reverse their declining fortunes at the Dall’Ara.
The Emilian club have lost all of their last four top-flight home fixtures, so could now suffer five straight home defeats for just the second time in their Serie A history.
As a result, Italiano’s side have slipped far behind the top six, and just one point above Udinese, who they beat 3-0 in this season’s reverse fixture.
© Imago
After posting consecutive league wins for the first time since September, Udinese’s brief success streak has been brought to an abrupt halt over the past fortnight.
A 3-1 away victory over Hellas Verona lifted them into the top 10, and they consolidated that status by defeating Roma, but Kosta Runjaic’s side then lost to a late goal in Lecce and were beaten at home by Sassuolo.
Having been denied one point by a 90th-minute strike at Stadio Via del Mare, the Friulani let a precious lead slip last time out, after Oumar Solet had scored his second goal in as many games.
Once again, there was to be no tangible reward for the French defender, as Sassuolo struck twice in a three-minute spell soon after half time.
Nonetheless, Udinese are on course to achieve their aim of a safe mid-table finish, with Runjaic fulfilling his brief of keeping the club competitive while developing saleable players.
However, before heading to Emilia-Romagna, his team have won just six of their last 17 Serie A away matches, keeping only two clean sheets in the process.
Bologna Serie A form:
W L L L L W
Bologna form (all competitions):
L L L L W W
Udinese Serie A form:
D L W W L L
Team News
Set to rotate his squad – with one eye on Brann’s midweek visit – Italiano has an almost full slate to choose from.
Defensive duo Eivind Helland and Lorenzo De Silvestri – both of whom were omitted from Bologna’s updated UEFA squad list – are available, only leaving Charalampos Lykogiannis on the sidelines.
Castro and Riccardo Orsolini are the Rossoblu’s joint-top scorers, even though the latter has gone off the boil in recent weeks.
Nevertheless, Orsolini has previously been involved in seven league goals against Udinese, including his first-ever Serie A strike back in 2018.
Meanwhile, Udinese’s main marksman Keinan Davis is still injured, and there is some doubt over Solet’s participation due to a flexor problem.
If passed fit, the highly-rated defender – who ranks joint-top for ball recoveries in Serie A – would probably feature in a back three, though Runjaic switched to a four-man setup against Sassuolo.
With Davis absent, either Vakoun Bayo or Adam Buksa should join Nicolo Zaniolo up front.
Bologna possible starting lineup:
Skorupski; Zortea, Heggem, Casale, Miranda; Freuler, Moro; Orsolini, Odgaard, Rowe; Castro
Udinese possible starting lineup:
Okoye; Bertola, Kristensen, Kabasele; Ehizibue, Atta, Karlstrom, Ekkelenkamp, Zemura; Zaniolo; Bayo
We say: Bologna 1-1 Udinese
Desperate for an overdue home win, Bologna may be frustrated again, as Udinese usually acquit themselves quite well on the road.
These clubs have drawn their last two Serie A clashes at the Dall’Ara – and five of the last six – so that trend will continue on Monday.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
