Bologna and Juventus will trade tackles in Saturday’s mid-table Serie A encounter, and it’s time to preview the game and take a look at the expected lineups. Both teams have blown hot and cold of late, and this showdown could be a turning point for them.
Another lackluster performance last weekend saw Bologna succumb to a 2-1 away defeat to Torino, their second Serie A loss in a row following back-to-back league wins. Tucked in mid-table comforts, Sinisa Mihajlovic’s side will be fancying their chances against underperforming Juventus.
Meanwhile, Juve turned a 1-0 half-time lead into a frustrating 1-1 draw at newly-promoted Venezia last time out as the pressure ramps up on Massimiliano Allegri. With fourth-placed Napoli eight points clear of them, the Bianconeri cannot afford another slip-up if they are to remain in touching distance of the Champions League places.
Bologna vs Juventus Head-to-Head
The recent H2H stakes wax lyrical about Juventus’ prospects in this fixture. The record-time Italian champions have won each of their last ten Serie A meetings with Bologna, registering a resounding six clean sheets in that period.
Overall, the Rossoblu have lost more Serie A matches versus Juventus (77) than against any other side in the competition. Since their last three H2H defeats have all yielded multi-goal margins, Bologna will at least hope to avoid another ‘blowout’ here.
Worryingly, though, the hosts have failed to get on the scoresheet in six of their last eight Serie A home encounters against Juventus, scoring precisely once in the other two. In fact, you have to go back to April 2003 to find the last time Bologna scored more than once in a top-flight home game against this opposition.
Bologna Form Preview
Since being held to a 2-2 draw to Genoa in September, Bologna have alternated between winning and losing in their last six Serie A home matches on the trot (W3, L3). Their last three top-flight home games have yielded a narrow one-goal margin, highlighting the potential for another tight, keenly-contested affair.
Having lost their last two Serie A outings on the trot, Bologna face the prospect of suffering three consecutive league defeats for the first time since October 2020. Any hopes of avoiding that scenario may hinge on preventing Juventus from breaking the deadlock, given the home side’s inability to bounce back.
Mihajlovic’s men have ended up on the losing side in eight out of nine Serie A fixtures in which they conceded first this season (W1, L8). However, it’s worth noting that 79% of Bologna’s league goals scored so far this term have come in the second half of play (19/24).
Juventus Form Preview
An underwhelming seventh-place ranking in the Serie A standings after 17 Serie A matches was not what the Allianz Stadium chiefs had in mind when bringing Allegri back in charge in the summer. It’s not all lost as of yet, though, but another slump could prove detrimental to Juventus’ hopes of landing a top-four finish.
Despite Juve’s stuttering domestic campaign so far, Allegri has at least improved his side’s defending. The Bianconeri have kept four clean sheets across their last six Serie A outings, as many shutouts as they had in their previous 29 in the competition beforehand. But they’ve conceded an average of 1.11 goals per away league game this term.
Yet, for Juventus, goals have been in short supply this season. They have netted just 23 goals in 17 Serie A fixtures so far, their lowest scoring tally at this stage of the season since 1999/2000. Encouragingly, though, they’ve bagged an average of 1.55 goals per away league game this term, compared with an overall average of 1.35 per Serie A match.
Bologna vs Juventus Predicted Lineups
Bologna (3-4-2-1): Lukasz Skorupski; Adama Soumaoro, Gary Medel, Arthur Theate; Lorenzo De Silvestri, Nicolas Dominguez, Mattias Svanberg, Aaron Hickey; Roberto Soriano, Musa Barrow; Marko Arnautovic.
Juventus (4-3-3): Wojciech Szczesny; Luca Pellegrini, Matthijs de Ligt, Leonardo Bonucci, Juan Cuadrado; Weston McKennie, Manuel Locatelli, Rodrigo Bentancur; Federico Bernanrdeschi, Alvaro Morata, Moise Kean.