Bologna and Torino square off on Sunday afternoon with just one point separating the two clubs in the Serie A standings.
Sitting in 12th and 11th position respectively, these sides can afford to go all out for victory at the Renato Dall'Ara Stadium.
Match preview
© Reuters
Since the start of December, Bologna have failed to produce the same standard of results from the opening four months of the campaign, but there are signs that they could soon be back on an upward trajectory.
Having lost seven times in nine matches, Bologna have collected four points from their last two outings, their victory during that period coming at home to Spezia.
It was a result which put distance between themselves and the relegation candidates, and a 1-1 draw at bottom-placed Salernitana last time out kept things ticking over.
Sinisa Mihajlovic will remain dissatisfied with how this season has panned out after their initial promise, but this match represents another opportunity to move closer to the 40-point mark.
Marko Arnautovic has rediscovered his scoring touch of late, ending a near three-month drought by netting three goals in two appearances.
© Reuters
Torino have endured somewhat of a bizarre campaign with wins coming in fits and starts, but they currently find themselves on a five-match winless streak.
That is despite Ivan Juric's team not conceding more than two goals in any of those fixtures, further highlighting that their efforts at the other end remain an issue.
On a positive note, Andrea Belotti has scored in successive matches for the first time this season, the Italian effectively finding some form while he is in the shop window.
Although Torino head into this fixture with the second-worst away record in the division, four points have been collected from their last three matches on their travels.
- L
- L
- D
- L
- W
- D
- W
- D
- L
- L
- D
- L
Team News
© Reuters
Having tested positive for coronavirus, Arnautovic will be absent from the Bologna attack.
Roberto Soriano could be used in a more advanced role as his replacement, allowing for Mattias Svanberg to return to the midfield.
As a result of goalkeeper Vanja Milinkovic-Savic suffering a hand injury, Etrit Berisha should be handed an opportunity between the sticks.
Rolando Mandragora is in line to return to the centre of midfield after serving a suspension, with Tommaso Pobega potentially missing out.
Former Leicester City midfielder Dennis Praet remains sidelined with a foot injury.
Bologna possible starting lineup:
Skorupski; Soumaoro, Medel, Theate; Silvestri, Schouten, Svanberg, Hickey; Orsolini, Soriano, Barrow
Torino possible starting lineup:
Berisha; Zima, Bremer, Rodriguez; Singo, Lukic, Mandragora, Vojvoda; Brekalo, Pjaca; Belotti
We say: Bologna 2-1 Torino
With neither team having shown much form of late, there may be a lack of quality on show. However, with a victory putting either club on the brink of realistically securing their Serie A status, we expect an entertaining game, one which could be won by the home side.
Top tip
Data Analysis
Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Bologna win with a probability of 47.54%. A win for Torino had a probability of 27.31% and a draw had a probability of 25.1%.
The most likely scoreline for a Bologna win was 1-0 with a probability of 10.63%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 2-1 (9.36%) and 2-0 (8.32%). The likeliest Torino win was 0-1 (7.63%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (11.94%). The actual scoreline of 0-0 was predicted with a 6.8% likelihood.
