Just three days on from the inevitable firing of Massimiliano Allegri, Juventus test their mettle against the man tipped to step into the Italian's shoes, facing Thiago Motta's Champions League-bound Bologna.
Monday's Serie A showdown at Renato Dall'Ara sees the third and fourth-placed sides pit their wits against one another, with only goal difference separating them at this late juncture.
Match preview
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Amid reports that a three-year contract from the Bianconeri is on the table, much-coveted Bologna head coach Motta seeks to get one over his prospective future employers, even if the overriding goal has already been achieved for his remarkable Rossoblu unit.
Indeed, the 2024-25 season will see Bologna dine at the Champions League table for the very first time in their history, as a 2-0 success over deposed champions Napoli - courtesy of early efforts from Dan Ndoye and Stefan Posch - ensured the Rossoblu's place among the European elite.
Thanks to Italy's supreme UEFA coefficient, Motta's men could drop to fifth place and still be present in next year's premier continental tournament, and there is still some work for the third-placed Rossoblu to do if they are to maintain their podium ranking.
Indeed, defeat to Juventus will bump Bologna down to fourth, while fifth-placed Atalanta BC are only four points adrift with a game in hand, but the events of Monday's match and their closing battle with Genoa on May 25 will pale into insignificance with the ultimate prize now assured.
An eight-game unbeaten run has seen Bologna pride themselves on defensive solidarity, as Motta's troops have kept six clean sheets while conceding just two goals across their last 720 minutes of football, and only runaway champions Inter Milan (45) can boast a superior home points total than Bologna's 40.
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From a potential future Juventus manager to a recently sacked former one, the fiery Allegri was booted out of the Turin offices on Friday evening, just two days after overseeing a gritty 1-0 triumph over Atalanta BC in the final of this year's Coppa Italia.
While his players revelled in unbridled joy, the red-carded Allegri sensationally lost his rag and allegedly went as far as to threaten to rip a journalist's ears off and hit him in the face - claims that his legal team denied - but Juventus understandably still saw fit to sack him owing to his "certain behaviours" in midweek.
As the Bianconeri board scramble to reach an agreement with Motta, youth team coach Paolo Montero is set to take control of the reins for Juve's closing battles with Bologna and Monza, which do not have an awful lot riding on them thanks to the fourth-placed visitors' qualification for next year's Champions League.
However, Allegri not only left on the back of an explosive outburst, but also a miserable streak of top-flight form, which saw Juventus draw each of his last five Serie A games in charge and win just two of their final 15, both of which were one-goal home successes over Fiorentina and Frosinone.
None of the Old Lady's last seven Serie A away games have seen Juve emerge triumphant, but a 1-1 draw versus Bologna in August stretched their marvellous unbeaten streak against the Rossoblu to 25 games, and not since 1998 have they come up short at Dall'Ara.
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A trio of infirm Bologna players will be forced to watch on from the Dall'Ara sidelines on Monday, including Manchester United and Arsenal-linked striker Joshua Zirkzee, who completed 73 minutes against Napoli but is now nursing a hamstring problem.
Either Jens Odgaard or Santiago Castro will step in for the stricken Dutchman at the tip of the attack; the former being thrust into the number nine position opens up a spot on the right-wing for either Riccardo Orsolini or Alexis Saelemaekers.
Adama Soumaoro and promising Scotland midfielder Lewis Ferguson are also on the long road to recovery from ACL injuries - the latter's dreams of a Euro 2024 call-up have been crushed.
As for a well-stocked Juventus, only experienced full-back Mattia De Sciglio (muscle) is set to miss out through injury, while Paul Pogba's doping ban will likely precede a parting of the ways this summer.
Scorer of the winning goal after just four minutes in the Coppa Italia final, Serbian hotshot Dusan Vlahovic is primed to make his 100th appearance for Juventus on Monday, where Federico Chiesa should fend off the competition to partner him.
However, Wojciech Szczesny will come back in between the sticks for Mattia Perin, while the fresh legs of Filip Kostic and Fabio Miretti may also come into Montero's thinking.
Bologna possible starting lineup:
Skorupski; Posch, Lucumi, Calafiori, Kristiansen; Freuler, Aebischer; Orsolini, Urbanski, Ndoye; Odgaard
Juventus possible starting lineup:
Szczesny; Danilo, Gatti, Bremer; Cambiaso, Rabiot, McKennie, Miretti, Kostic; Vlahovic, Chiesa
We say: Bologna 1-0 Juventus
Juventus' Coppa-related chaos will no doubt hamper their preparations for a daunting trip to Dall'Ara, where Bologna have shipped a mere nine Serie A goals all season long, and there will be no overnight fix for the Old Lady's troubles on the road.
There is certainly the risk of Bologna's foot coming slightly off the gas pedal at this late stage, but owing to Juve's midweek fatigue and the Rossoblu's rearguard excellence, a low-scoring success should come the hosts' way as they snap their horrendous winless sequence against the Old Lady.
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