Bologna vs Juventus
Juventus will make the 200-mile trip across North Italy to Bologna on Sunday, hoping to get back to winning ways and keep control of their Champions League destiny.
I Bianconeri are currently in third place with a three-point cushion over AC Milan and Roma, in fourth and fifth, and Bologna vs. Juventus is the last fixture in a fascinating weekend of Serie A.
Elsewhere in the Italian top-flight, champions elect Napoli host Salernitana, sixth-placed Inter Milan welcome second-placed, Lazio and Roma clash with Milan on Saturday.
The Serie A 2023 betting odds back the Old Lady for a win in Bologna, but the hosts have a slim chance of qualifying for Europe because they’re currently in eighth place, and head coach Thiago Motta is a man in demand.
He has won 12 of his 26 games in charge and a Bologna director has issued a “hands off” statement to admirers including Inter Milan and Paris Saint-Germain, saying: “He has a year left on his contract.”
In the other dugout at the Stadio Dall’ Ara, Juventus coach Max Allegri has had a positive impact in Turin since his return to the club in 2021. But it has been a turbulent campaign for the Old Lady and the boss was furious when his side went down to a 1-0 Coppa Italia semi final defeat to Inter Milan in midweek.
He will demand a big performance from his players to keep their top four aim on track, while Motta too will push for a turnaround after his side lost 2-1 away to Hellas Verona in the league.
Talking Points
Bologna sweat on Arnautovic
The hosts are hoping for a return of star striker Marko Arnautovic for the visit of Juventus in Sunday.
The former Stoke City and West Ham United hitman suffered a muscular injury in his foot over a month ago and Nicola Sansone and Joshua Zirkzee have led the attack in his absence. But Motta needs his main man back for the run in and Arnautovic is still ‘”touch and go”.
Sansone will start either way as he scored an early goal in Bologna’s last home game, a 1-1 draw with AC Milan, and wide-man Musa Barrow will also be on show. Barrow is the Rossoblu’s best assist-maker and has pace to burn, one to watch for the Bianconeri defence and in the Serie A 2023 highlights reel.
Juventus in a rage
It’s been a funny old season for I Bianconeri though not many people are laughing at the Juventus Stadium at the moment, and Bologna might be about to meet a team with a fierce desire to take their anger out on someone.
Without a win in four games, the Old Lady has gone off the boil in recent weeks and they suffered a Coppa Italia semi-final exit at the hands of Inter Milan in a grumpy affair at the San Siro.
Centre-back Leonardo Bonucci fumed as he was substituted, insisting he wasn’t injured, and he had a heated discussion with Allegri. And the Juve boss also had words with Inter Milan CEO after the game saying: “You’re all a bunch of s**ts, but you’ll finish sixth anyway!”
Juventus have had a difficult campaign off the field with a 15-point deduction which took the wind out of their sails, only to be reversed a couple of weeks ago. They had a chance to grab second place last week but were beaten by a 93rd minute winner for runaway leaders Napoli.
Second placed Lazio have that tough assignment away to Inter Milan on Sunday, so Juventus may well have another chance when they take on Bologna.
Allegri needs his big players to maintain their focus and perform. Bonucci is a leader and, in Manuel Locatelli and Adrien Rabiot, Juventus have a world-class midfield pairing. While up front, Federico Chiesa is a serious talent, but he will likely be without his strike partner Dusan Vlahovic, who has picked up an ankle strain and the Serbian was not in training early in the week.
Vlahovic has attracted Premier League interest with his all action displays and impressive scoring record, so Allegri will hope to get him back on the pitch soon.
History
The head-to-heads have been very one sided over the past 20 years or so, with I Bianconeri winning 37 of the 49 encounters and drawing 10, while Bologna have eked out two victories in this meeting since 1996.
Juventus won the return fixture 3-0 as Vlahovic was on target, but in terms of recent for, the hosts have a slight edge.
Bologna have two wins, three draws, and a single defeat over the past six games, while Juventus have won just once, drawn once, and lost four.
Betting Tip
Neither Bologna nor Juventus have produced much in the way of high-scoring games in recent weeks, and have conceded just five and four goals respectively over the past five games. So, there is mileage in a bet on 2-3 goals at a SBOTOP price of 1.89.
For a winner, the Old Lady is the front runner with Bologna at 2.98 and the draw at 3.06. It will be tight, but I think Allegri will have something to smile about on Sunday.
A SHORT EXPLANATION ON HOW OUR (⭐) BETS ARE WORTH:
⭐⭐⭐= €20 (HIGHLY CONFIDENT)
⭐⭐= €10 (CONFIDENT))
⭐= €5 (SOMEWHAT CONFIDENT)
Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
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