Fresh off a phenomenal start to the 2023/24 Serie A season, Juventus entertain a morally-damaged Bologna at the Allianz Stadium on Sunday evening. Let’s take a look at our match preview for this lopsided fixture.
It’s difficult to imagine even the most die-hard Juventus fans envisaging such a promising start for Massimiliano Allegri’s troubled squad. After missing out on European football for the first time in 12 years and struggling to make any noticeable summer signing, the record-time Italian champions looked destined for another fateful campaign.
However, Juventus thrived in the face of adversity on the opening weekend, putting three unanswered first-half goals past Udinese in a scintillating 3-0 win at the Dacia Arena. Federico Chiesa grabbed the headlines with a well-taken opening goal. Dusan Vlahovic was up there with a goal and an assist, inspiring Bianconeri to a morale-boosting victory.
On the other hand, Bologna’s effort to secure only their third top-half finish in nine straight Serie A campaigns since earning promotion in 2015 was off to an awful start. Thiago Motta’s side found themselves 2-0 down inside the opening 21 minutes of their day-one clash against new-look Milan at Renato Dall’Ara.
Stefano Pioli’s decision to relinquish attacking ambitions for the remainder of the game probably spared Bologna further misery. If Rossoblu’s underwhelming showing in their first league match without Marko Arnautovic was a sign of things to come, there’s not much they could hope for in Turin.
Match Preview
Juventus
After celebrating his 250th win in charge of Juventus, Allegri returns to Turin in a buoyant mood. The Allianz Stadium was as closest to a fortress as it got last term. Only three sides boasted a superior home record than Bianconeri (W13, D3, L3) in 2022/23. It should put smiles back on the Turin faithful, as should Paul Pogba’s recovery from a long-term injury.
However, Juventus would be wise not to take anything for granted. They blew hot and cold across their last five competitive home outings down the final stretch of 2022/23 (W2, D1, L2). Allegri is a stranger to dropping points in back-to-back home games, but Milan’s 1-0 win here in late May puts him in a precarious position.
By contrast, Juventus have been nothing if not relentless against Bologna on home turf. They have clocked up an eye-catching nine wins and two draws in their last 11 league encounters in Turin since a 2-0 defeat in 2011. As such, the optimism in the home camp is not unfounded.
Player to Watch: Dusan Vlahovic
After getting off the mark from the spot against Udinese, Vlahovic will relish Bologna’s upcoming visit. The marquee goal-getter has netted five times against Rossoblu in Serie A, making them his second most-favorable opposition.
Bologna
While Motta would probably settle for a point here, he would hardly resist the temptation of becoming the first Bologna manager to take three points at Juventus since Alberto Malesani. But it doesn’t seem realistic, particularly in light of Arnautovic’s move to Inter.
During his two-year stay in Emilia-Romagna, the Austrian veteran was responsible for almost a quarter of Bologna’s 97 goals in Serie A. Motta must find a new attacking leader to take Arnautovic’s place, and he’d better do it soon.
His side finished last season with aplomb, going undefeated on three consecutive league travels toward the end of 2022/23 (W2, D1). Bologna’s impressive away form came despite their defensive frailties. Indeed, they come into proceedings having failed to keep a clean sheet in their last five away league games.
Player to Watch: Dan Ndoye
Former Basel ace Dan Ndoye couldn’t find the net on his Serie A debut against Milan. But he was still the most impressive Bologna performer on Monday night, giving the traveling fans a reason to look forward to this fixture.
Team News
Long-term absentee Kaio Jorge is on the verge of recovery, but this clash will come too soon for him. Mattia De Sciglio will keep the Brazilian company on the stands due to a knee injury. Moise Kean is touch-and-go amid the uncertainty surrounding his future at Juventus.
As for Bologna, first-choice center-back Adama Soumaoro and lightning-fast forward Musa Barrow are unavailable for selection. The former is still struggling with a niggling knee injury, while the latter could soon return to the fold.
Juventus vs Bologna Potential Starting Lineups
Juventus (3-5-2): Wojciech Szczesny; Danilo, Bremer, Alex Sandro; Timothy Weah, Adrien Rabiot, Manuel Locatelli, Andrea Cambiaso, Fabio Miretti; Federico Chiesa, Dusan Vlahovic.
Bologna (4-2-3-1): Lukasz Skorupski; Stefan Posch, Jhon Lukumi, Sam Beukema, Charalampos Charalampos; Nicolas Dominguez, Nikola Moro; Riccardo Orsolini, Dan Ndoye, Lewis Ferguson; Joshua Zirkzee.
Juventus vs Bologna Prediction
All signs are pointing to a clear-cut win for Juventus. Anything else would be a massive surprise.
Prediction: Juventus Win
 |
Follow us on Google News for more updates on Serie A and Italian football |