After another successful European night, Roma return to Serie A duties as they head to the Stadio Renato Dall’Ara to meet mid-table Bologna. Sunday’s encounter in Emilia-Romagna could decide the visitors’ quest to secure a first top-four finish since 2018/19.
Though it’s been more than a decent season for Bologna, another mid-table finish looks like a near-certainty. Not long ago, Thiago Motta’s men were in the European mix. However, following an underwhelming five-match winless run (D3, L2), they find themselves stranded in 10th. They could still finish in the bottom half of the standings, though.
With only two points separating eighth and 13th at the start of the round, there’s too much crowd in mid-table. But Bologna cannot point fingers at anyone else but themselves. Nicolas Dominguez’s delightful goal rescued a point for the Rossoblu in a 1-1 draw at Sassuolo last weekend as they failed to keep a clean sheet for the fifth time in a row.
Bologna’s defensive frailties could hand the visitors’ Champions League hopes a boost, considering a top-four finish now seems a remote possibility. Last weekend’s 2-0 home defeat to Inter demoted Roma to seventh in the table. Jose Mourinho’s men now lag five points behind the top-four pace, with only four games left.
On a positive note, Roma opened the door for Champions League qualification on Thursday. Edoardo Bove stepped up to the plate, scoring a second-half winner to give the Giallorossi a 1-0 triumph over Bayer Leverkusen. A slender first-leg lead in their keenly-contested Europa League semi-final tie could justify Mourinho’s decision to rotate his squad.
If he doesn’t, a low-scoring affair could be in store. Roma’s 1-0 home win in the reverse fixture in January forms part of a four-game H2H run featuring under 1.5 goals. The Giallorossi emerged victorious twice in that sequence, with one draw and one success for Bologna.
Match Preview
Bologna
Dall’Ara has played host to several high-profile match-ups in recent months. Bologna held Juventus to an evenly-contested 1-1 draw in their most recent home outing, extending their unbeaten league run as hosts to five matches (W2, D3). Before sharing the spoils with the Bianconeri, Motta’s side drew 1-1 with another top-four outfit Milan.
Curiously, Bologna’s five-match unbeaten streak at Dall’Ara contains a win over Inter and a draw against Lazio, showing they’re no strangers to upsetting the favorites. However, Roma have often been a thorn in the Rossoblu’s side. You don’t need to look beyond the recent H2H stakes to understand the home team’s frustration.
They have gone winless in 11 of their last 13 top-flight meetings with Mourinho’s side (D4, L7). But one of those wins came in this corresponding fixture in 2021/22 as Matias Svandberg fired them to a narrow 1-0 triumph.
Player to Watch: Riccardo Orsolini
After an unimpressive first half of the season, Orsolini has blossomed in 2023, returning to be a protagonist for Bologna. He has collected seven goals and two assists in his last 13 league outings, including a game-opener against Juventus in his most recent home appearance.
Roma
Though Roma swiftly avenged last season’s defeat in Emilia-Romagna with an identical victory in the reverse fixture, another slip-up cannot be discarded. That’s because Mourinho’s men have massively underperformed outside the Stadio Olimpico in 2023, casting doubt on their lofty ambitions in Serie A.
Home and away, Roma are without a win in their last four league matches (D2, L2). Another failed attempt to grab three points would see them equal their longest winless streak in Serie A under Mourinho. Unfortunately, the signs are ominous.
Except for a 1-0 win at Torino in early April, the visitors have gone winless in nine of their last ten away matches in all competitions (D3, L6). Indeed, they’ve lost twice on their three competitive travels since winning in Turin (D1), failing to score more than once on each occasion.
With a season-defining trip to Leverkusen waiting in the wings, this is the perfect time to address their travel sickness.
Player to Watch: Lorenzo Pellegrini
Roma captain Pellegrini scored the only goal when the two sides met at the Stadio Olimpico in January. He enjoys playing against Bologna. In his last two Serie A appearances at Dall’Ara, the highly-rated midfielder has tallied a goal and an assist.
Team News
First-choice center-back Adam Soumaoro has joined Nicola Sansone and Roberto Soriano on the sidelines. The Frenchman picked up an injury during a 3-1 demolition at Empoli a fortnight ago. Another regular, Stefan Posh, is also unavailable for Bologna after accumulating yellow cards.
On the other hand, this fixture will come too early for Marash Kumbulla and Diego Llorente. But other than the two second-string defenders, Roma will have the remainder of their squad ready to take this trip. That includes Paulo Dybala, who started Thursday’s clash against Leverkusen on the bench.
Bologna vs Roma Potential Lineups
Bologna (4-2-3-1): Lucasz Skorupski; Lorenzo De Silvestri, Kevin Bonifazi, Joaquin Sosa, Andrea Cambiaso; Jerdy Schouten, Ncolas Dominguez; Riccardo Orsolini, Lewis Ferguson, Michel Aebischer; Musa Barrow.
Roma (3-4-2-1): Rui Patricio; Gianluca Mancini, Bryan Cristante, Roger Ibanez; Zeki Celik, Nemanja Matic, Edoardo Bove, Nicola Zalewski; Lorenzo Pellegrini, Ola Solbakken; Tammy Abraham.
Bologna vs Roma Prediction
Scoring has been an issue for both teams lately. And with Roma keeping their attention on European proceedings, a share of the spoils looks virtually inevitable. Connoisseurs of action-packed football may want to skip this encounter, considering goals will likely be at a premium.
Prediction: Draw
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