Juventus, Bologna go head-to-head in battle for third place.
After a sensational win against Napoli, Bologna FC heads into a crucial top-of-the-table showdown with Juventus FC at Stadio Renato Dall'Ara, where victory could see them break a 25+ year winless streak at home against the Old Lady while solidifying their hold on a third-place finish.
Bologna
Bologna continued their fairytale season, defeating Napoli 2-0 at the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium last Saturday to return to winning ways. Two quickfire first-half goals from Dan Ndoye (9’) and Stefan Posch (12’) were enough to earn Bologna all three points and a spot in the upcoming revamped edition of the UEFA Champions League for the first time in club history.
The victory also left Bologna (DWDDW) unbeaten in the last eight Serie A games, with 67 points (18W, 13D, 5L) while in 3rd place on the Serie A table. They have just as many points as Juventus, whom they face on Monday.
Victory over Juventus will see Bologna put a three-point gap over the Old Lady, establishing themselves as favorites to finish in 3rd place ahead of the visitors. However, the Greyhounds have not picked up a league win over Juventus at the Dall'Ara since November 1998 (0W, 6D, 14L).
Having lost Joshua Zirkzee to injury last time out, Thiago Motta, who has reportedly been offered a three-year contract to become Juve’s new head coach, is expected to field a 4—2—3—1 with Jens Odgaard leading the attack.
Juventus
Despite picking up the Coppa Italia title with a 1-0 win over Atalanta, courtesy of a Dušan Vlahović goal in the 4th minute, the Old Lady parted ways with Massimiliano Allegri. This follows a widely reported bizarre touchline burst-up. "The dismissal follows certain actions during and after the Coppa Italia final which the club deemed incompatible with Juventus’ values," stated the club officially.
The Bianconeri will return to league action following their 1-1 draw at home against Salernitana last weekend. This result leaves Juve with five consecutive league draws and a three-goal goal difference compared with Bologna.
Juventus sit in 4th position on the league table, having accumulated 67 points from 36 games. They are unbeaten in 41 of their last 42 matches against Bologna in Serie A, last losing to the Greyhounds in February 2011.
The reverse fixture in August ended in a 1-1 draw. A draw here will see both teams draw both matches in a Serie A season for the first time since 2011–12. Caretaker manager Paolo Montero is expected to retain the 3-5-2 formation, with Federico Chiesa and Dušan Vlahović in attack.
Regarding availability, Mattia De Sciglio remains a doubt for Monday's game with a muscle issue.
Team form
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Team Comparison
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