Seeking a fourth straight win, Bologna will return to Serie A duty on Monday, when they welcome Cremonese to Stadio Dall’Ara.
The Coppa Italia holders are again pushing for a top-four finish this season, and they improved their Europa League prospects in midweek.
Match preview
Strengthening their grip on a playoff place, Bologna swept Salzburg aside on Thursday evening, racking up four goals and 24 shots in another confident display at the Dall’Ara.
Victory inched Vincenzo Italiano’s men up the Europa League table, and they are now just two points shy of the all-important top eight with three rounds remaining.
They had previously beaten Napoli and Udinese while scoring five times without reply, winning 3-0 in Udine last week as Tommaso Pobega scored just his second brace in Serie A.
Serious top-four contenders, Bologna’s undefeated streak across all competitions stands at 12 games, with their last league loss dating back to mid-September, when they were beaten by AC Milan.
Since then, the Rossoblu have recorded six wins and three draws in Serie A, which left them just three points off the summit after 12 matches.
Clearly indicating the depth of their squad, the Emilian club have already registered 11 different scorers in Italy’s top flight.
Whoever plays, they never know when they are beaten: Bologna have gained a league-high seven points from losing positions so far.
© Imago
Not only are their hosts in peak form, but history will be firmly against Cremonese this weekend: they have not won at the Dall’Ara for almost 40 years.
Though seven of their last nine league meetings with Bologna have ended in a draw, the most recent was a painful 5-1 defeat, as Cremo sunk down to Serie B in May 2023.
Since then, the Lombardy side have been promoted back to the big time, subsequently making an impressive start to their comeback campaign.
However, after losing just one of their first nine fixtures, Cremonese have since lost three on the spin – to Juventus, Pisa and Roma.
Against the latter, last week, the Grigiorossi were beaten 3-1 at home by the surprise Serie A leaders, with Francesco Folino’s first top-flight goal merely a late consolation.
Still well clear of the drop zone under proven survival specialist Davide Nicola, there will be no sense of panic just yet, despite facing a tough run between now and next year.
Bologna Serie A form:
W D D W W W
Bologna form (all competitions):
D W D W W W
Cremonese Serie A form:
D D W L L L
Team News
© Imago
Once again, Italiano is set to rotate his squad significantly, so Santiago Castro, Emil Holm, Nikola Moro and several others could come into the hosts’ starting XI on Monday.
Full-backs Lorenzo De Silvestri (omitted from the UEFA squad list) and Charalampos Lykogiannis (suspended in midweek) are now available.
While captain Remo Freuler and first-choice goalkeeper Lukasz Skorupski are both injured, Ciro Immobile, Nicolo Cambiaghi and Jonathan Rowe may be fit enough for the bench.
Scorer of the Rossoblu’s fourth goal on Thursday night, star man Riccardo Orsolini has found the net five times in Serie A so far; he was also on the scoresheet when Bologna last met Cremonese in 2023.
This term, Federico Bonazzoli has been Cremo’s most prolific player with four goals, and he should partner veteran poacher Jamie Vardy up front; Franco Vazquez and Paraguay striker Antonio Sanabria are also contenders.
Mikayil Faye is still struggling with a sprained ankle, so he could join Faris Moumbagna and Michele Collocolo on the sidelines, but Alberto Grassi and Alessio Zerbin might be passed fit in time for the trip to Emilia-Romagna.
Bologna possible starting lineup:
Ravaglia; Holm, Lucumi, Vitik, Lykogiannis; Ferguson, Moro; Orsolini, Fabbian, Dominguez; Castro
Cremonese possible starting lineup:
Audero; Terracciano, Baschirotto, Bianchetti; Barbieri, Payero, Bondo, Vandeputte, Pezzella; Bonazzoli, Vardy
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We say: Bologna 2-1 Cremonese
Bologna are unbeaten in Serie A home games this season, with four wins and one draw, so only fatigue can stop them turning Cremonese over.
Although the hosts were in action on Thursday, Italiano’s clever squad use should keep them fresh enough to see off a faltering away side.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
