Scudetto winners Napoli will make the trip to Bologna for their penultimate Serie A encounter in what could prove to be an interesting affair at Stadio Renato Dall’Ara on Sunday afternoon.
In their penultimate game of a historic 2022–23 campaign, Serie A champions Napoli travel to Stadio Dall’Ara to face this season’s surprise package, Bologna, on Sunday.
For Bologna, there is also little left to play for this season as the fight for European football slipped out of their hands. Nevertheless, Thiago Motta will be proud of his team’s performances this season. While they are mathematically out of the running for the top six, they could still finish their season on a high by finishing in the top half of the table.
The Rossoblu proved their worth in a thrilling 5-1 win over Cremonese as they reached the 50-point landmark for the first time since the 2011–2012 campaign, meaning that they are brimming with confidence ahead of the visit of Napoli.
Unfortunately for Motta, standing in their way is a Napoli side riding a famous wave of momentum after storming their way to their first domestic title since 1990 this season.
They have retained their ruthless form following a brief blip against Monza. They produced a good response to their Monza loss as they made an immediate return to winning ways by beating Inter Milan 3-1 last week.
The reverse fixture showed that the Rossoblu are well capable of competing with the league winners, as they did in a narrow 3-2 defeat. A similarly high-scoring encounter this weekend could be on the cards between the two sides for the clash at the Renato Dall’Ara.
Team News & Tactics
Bologna
FERGIE FRIDAY 🕺🏴#WeAreOne pic.twitter.com/g99ug6aiw1
— Bologna FC 1909 (@BolognaFC1909en) May 26, 2023
Manager Thiago Motta is set to be without the services of Adama Soumaoro and Roberto Soriano, both of whom remain on the sidelines with injuries. Motta is set to keep changes to a minimum following a comfortable victory over Cremonese. A red card for Riccardo Orsolini at Stadio Zini means Michel Aebischer is likely to start on the right flank in the only predicted change.
Lukasz Skorupski will take his spot between the sticks, with Bologna setting up in a 4-2-3-1 formation. Stefan Posch will start as a defensive right-back, with Jhon Lucumi and Kevin Bonifazi forming the central defensive partnership. And Andrea Cambiaso will feature as a left-back.
Jerdy Schouten and Nicolas Dominguez should hold the fort in the middle of the park, aiming to disrupt Napoli’s ability to set the tone for the game. Doing so will enable Aebischer and Musa Barrow to flourish upfield and stretch the opposition’s backline. Attacking midfielder Lewis Ferguson has five goals to his name and will be a creative threat from the number 10 role.
The hosts will be further boosted by Marko Arnautovic’s return to form. The Austrian target man has had injury problems this season but marked his second start in four months with a goal last weekend.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Skorupski; Posch, Bonifazi, Lucumi, Cambiaso; Schouten, Dominguez; Aebischer, Ferguson, Barrow; Arnautovic
Napoli
Hirving Lozano has been ruled out for the rest of the season due to injury, while Eljif Elmas is suspended. Matteo Politano should overcome a knock sustained in training to start on the visitors’ right wing.
Luciano Spalletti may look to rotate his starting XI to avoid any late-season injuries to senior players, with the likes of Victor Osimhen and Kvicha Kvaraskhelia potentially rested for this match.
Amir Rrahmani and Kim Min-jae will continue their commanding display at the back, with goalkeeper Alex Meret protecting the goal. Mathias Olivera has not been able to replicate Mario Rui’s pin-point crosses but could keep his place on the left flank, whereas captain Giovanni Di Lorenzo remains a mainstay on the opposite side.
This weekend, savor the taste of a good Coca-Cola & Pizza as if it were the first time, just like Gianluca #fridayfeeling #cocacola #realmagic @CocaColaIT pic.twitter.com/M2xSmZc1o2
— Official SSC Napoli (@sscnapoli) May 26, 2023
Up ahead in midfield, Stanislav Lobotka has been a revelation for Napoli this season and delivered yet another convincing display against Inter. The former Celta Vigo man is a master at controlling the tempo from the middle of the park and providing assistance for the centre-backs when required. Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa and Piotr Zielinski will be available to support Lobotka in midfield here.
Napoli youth product Gianluca Gaetano recorded his first goal of the season against Inter and may be handed his first league start of the season, while the likes of Giovanni Simeone and Giacomo Raspadori are also pushing to feature here.
Clearly furious to be hauled off the pitch after 69 ineffective minutes against Inter, Napoli striker Victor Osimhen will continue his hunt to be crowned Serie A’s Capocannoniere as he leads Lautaro Martinez by three goals with two matches left to play.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Meret; Di Lorenzo, Kim, Rrahmani, Olivera; Zielinski, Lobotka, Zambo-Anguissa; Raspadori, Osimhen, Gaetano
Key Stats
- Napoli are on a five-game winning streak against Bologna since a 1-1 draw in July 2020.
- Thiago Motta’s troops are unbeaten in six home games, winning twice since a 1-0 defeat against Monza in February.
- Napoli are the meanest side away from home in Serie A this season, picking up 44 points from 18 games.
- The visitors have scored at least 2 goals in their last 4 matches against Bologna in all competitions.
- The Partenopei are undefeated in 34 of their last 38 Serie A matches.
Player to Watch
Kim Min-jae
While Napoli could be forced to sell the powerful centre-back due to a certain release clause this summer, Kim has been a key part of Napoli’s successful Serie A title challenge this season, helping his side lift the Scudetto for the first time in 33 seasons.
The 26-year-old’s stock has been on the rise since he joined the Italian giants from Fenerbahce last summer as a replacement for Kalidou Koulibaly, who moved to Chelsea. And the in-demand defender has been one of the stars of the division, starting 34 of Napoli’s 37 games.
This season, he has completed an impressive 91 percent of his passes. The former Fenerbahce star has also registered 1.6 tackles, 1.2 interceptions, and 3.6 clearances per game. He has also caught the eye with his strong aerial presence in the box. Indeed, the Naples-based outfit will have serious difficulty finding the right replacement.
Prediction
Bologna 1-2 Napoli
Bologna have been tough to beat of late and will be desperate to spring a major Serie A upset on Sunday afternoon against Napoli. The Greyhounds might still find themselves sat in pole position to claim an eye-catching top-half finish this season. But their resolve will come under threat as they take on newly-established champions Napoli.
The visitors have lost just one of their last eight across the board, while their away form has been superb. Even if Luciano Spalletti rotate his starting XI significantly, the Scudetto winners have such strength in depth that we back the visitors to prevail in both halves this weekend and continue their triumphant run-in to the end of the season. That being said, the hosts will not make things easy for the Partenopei.
