Prediction : Bologna vs Napoli - Match Preview, Line-ups, and More

Bologna vs Napoli

SCHEDULE	TIME
GAME	Bologna vs Napoli
DATE	17/01/2022
TIME	12:30 PM (UTC-5)
VENUE	Stadio Renato Dall'Ara (Bologna)
LEAGUE	Serie A - Round 22

TV Channel Info

More Information

Streaming starts 5 minutes before kick off

Bologna lineup: Skorupski; Bonifazi, Binks, Theate; Silvestri, Soriano, Dominguez, Svanberg, Hickey; Orsolini, Arnautovic

Napoli lineup: Meret; Di Lorenzo, Rrahmani, Jesus, Rui; Demme, Lobotka; Politano, Mertens, Elmas; Petagna

◉ Although comfortable in mid-table and still in with a chance of their first top-nine Serie A (SA) finish in ten years, Bologna will be worried by a recent drop of form which has seen the club lose four of their last five league games (W1). They went down 2-1 in their most recent clash, handing them their first league loss after scoring first this campaign (W7, D2).

◉ Getting back on track here doesn’t look like a guarantee based on the fact 'I Rossoblù’ have lost three of their last four SA home games (W1). That includes two straight defeats - they last lost more consecutively in a single SA home campaign back in March 2017. Bologna manager Siniša Mihajlović would have wanted a different opponent to stop this rut given his own personal uninspiring H2H record against Napoli (W1, D7, L11) too.

◉ That includes a 3-0 loss in the reverse fixture and considering their league-leading record of 11 clean sheets, Napoli will be confident of shutting out Bologna for a second league game in the same SA season for the first time since the 1977/78 campaign. But after crashing out of Coppa Italia in midweek, a win of any magnitude will be the aim, particularly given the visitors recent ten SA game form (W3, D3, L4).

◉ Napoli have tended to start fast on the road in recent SA away trips, scoring first in eight of their last ten - this includes in each of their last five. However, just two wins from those five matches (D2, L1) is a huge disappointment for Luciano Spalletti’s men who’ll still have fading dreams of fighting for the SA title this season.

◉ Players to watch: Riccardo Orsolini has scored in three consecutive SA games for the first time in his career, opening the scoring in each for Bologna. Scorer of a brace in the reverse fixture, Lorenzo Insigne could aid Napoli's quest for a win 'to nil' as his last four SA scoring games have yielded such results.

◉ Hot stat: Bologna have conceded five of their last seven SA goals beyond the 65th minute, including three in a row.

Prediction 

Bologna 1-2 Napoli

With neither team in particularly good form, we feel that anything could happen in this contest. Nevertheless, given their superior quality in the final third, Napoli could edge this game by the odd goal in three having had to withstand pressure from their hosts.