Liverpool will host Bologna at Anfield in their UEFA Champions League home opener on Wednesday, with both teams looking to continue their unbeaten runs.
Liverpool managed to pick up a win over AC Milan in their UEFA Champions League opener, and they will be confident of grinding out a good result against Bologna as well. The Reds have an impressive head-to-head recording against Bologna, having won the last two meetings with the Italian side.
The home side are undoubtedly the better team on paper as well, and it remains to be seen whether they can pick up all three points. Liverpool are coming into this game on the back of five wins from the last six matches across all competitions. They will be full of confidence and momentum here.
Meanwhile, Bologna will look to pull off an upset here, and it remains whether they can grind out a positive result. They played out a goalless draw against Shakhtar Donetsk in their UEFA Champions League opener, and they have been quite difficult to beat in recent weeks.
The Serie A outfit are unbeatable in the last five matches in all competitions, but they have drawn four of those outings. It remains to be seen whether they can get something out of this contest. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.
Team News & Tactics
Liverpool
Harvey Elliott is the only injury for Liverpool against Bologna. The home side are likely to shape up in a 4-2-3-1 formation, with Alisson Becker in goal.
Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andrew Robertson will start as the full-backs. They will look to help out in the attack and protect the central defenders. Ibrahima Konate will start alongside club captain Virgil van Dijk at the heart of the defence.
As for the midfield unit, Alexis Mac Allister and Ryan Gravenberch will add creativity and control to the side. They will look to control the tempo of the game as well.
Dominik Szoboszlai will look to create goalscoring opportunities in the final third. Mohamed Salah and Luis Diaz will add goals and creativity from the wide areas, with Darwin Nunez leading the line.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Konate, van Dijk, Robertson; Gravenberch, Mac Allister; Salah, Szoboszlai, Diaz; Nunez
Bologna
The Italian outfit will be without Lewis Ferguson and Tommaso Pobega due to injury problems. Bologna are likely to shape up in a 4-3-3 formation against Liverpool, with Lukasz Skoruspski in goal.
Stefan Posch and Charalampos Lykogiannis will start as the full-backs. They will look to keep things compact, defensively, and hit Liverpool on the break. Sam Beukema will form the central defensive pairing alongside Jhon Lucumi.
In the midfield, Michel Aebischer, Remo Freuler, and Kacper Urbanski will add defensive cover, creativity, and control to the side. Santiago Castro will lead the line for Bologna, with Riccardo Orsolini and Dan Ndoye on either side of him.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Skorupski; Posch, Beukema, Lucumi, Lykogiannis; Aebischer, Freuler, Urbanski; Orsolini, Castro, Ndoye
Key Stats
- Liverpool have picked up five wins from the last six matches in all competitions.
- Bologna have drawn four of the last six matches in all competitions.
- Liverpool have won their last two matches against Bologna.
- Liverpool have kept two clean sheets in their last two matches against Bologna.
- Liverpool have scored 16 goals in the last six matches in all competitions.
Player to Watch
Darwin Nunez
The 25-year-old Liverpool striker has not been a regular starter this season, and Diogo Jota was preferred ahead of him against Wolves. He is likely to be handed a start here, and it remains to be seen whether he can make an instant impact. Nunez was outstanding against Bournemouth and he will look to build on that here.
The Uruguayan international will look to put on a strong performance and convince the Liverpool manager to give him an extended run in the side. The South American attacker is our key player to watch out for, and he could cause all sorts of problems for the Bologna defence with pace, aggression, and creativity.
Prediction
Liverpool 2-0 Bologna
Liverpool are undoubtedly the favourites here, and they should be able to grind out all three points. They picked up a comfortable victory against AC Milan away from home, and this should be a walk in the park for them.
Bologna have been difficult to beat and they will look to make life difficult for the home team, but they are likely to come up short here. The gulf in class between the two sides is significant, and a win for Liverpool seems quite likely.
