Saturday sees freshly dethroned Italian champions Napoli host high-flying Bologna, in a fixture that both sides would consider an opportunity to close in on their respective targets for the season that soon concludes.
We provide a Napoli vs Bologna preview, and a prediction of the likeliest outcome.
Quick stats
The Diego Armando Maradona Stadium was certainly a fortress for Napoli last season as they romped to a first Scudetto in decades, but the arena has been of little comfort to the Partenopei this time around.
Napoli have only won six of their 17 league games — the same number as they have drawn, and just one more than they have lost — there.
Francesco Calzona's troops have not won a home game after beating Juventus 2-1 in March, and their only victory in all competitions after that result came at Monza a little over a month ago.
Bologna may be having their best Serie A season ever, but their form on the road is quite patchy, winning just five of 17 games and conceding almost as many goals (18) as they have scored (19). That is only the seventh-best away record in the league this term.
Notwithstanding, Bologna are yet to taste an away defeat in all competitions since a 2-1 reverse at Cagliari back in January.
Napoli vs Bologna match preview
It is tough to imagine a team that last had a season as bad after winning a major European league as Napoli have this campaign.
Not only have they spectacularly failed to defend their title, they are also in danger of missing out altogether on any sort of European football next season.
Eighth on the table, a whopping 11 points off the lowest of the five UEFA Champions League slots, Napoli are currently only positioned high enough to look forward to UEFA Europa Conference League football — and even that is not guaranteed, with Fiorentina just a solitary point behind and having a game in hand.
Yet a good end to the season, unlikely as it seems, could see Francesco Calzona's charges end up pushing capital duo Roma and Lazio for one of the UEFA Europa League places, and beating Bologna to end a four-game winless run could kick-start such a late rally.
Thiago Motta's Bologna, however, have ambitions of their own — grander ones at that. Having a maiden Champions League ticket within reach is all the motivation they need, and despite stumbling over the course of the last few games (four draws in five), they would back themselves to get over the line after the brilliant, odds-defying season they have had thus far.
The Rossoblu know that one more victory takes them tantalisingly close to that objective, and with only a struggling Juventus just ahead of them, they could even finish as high as third if they step things up a gear or two.
Any chances of success in that mission would rest quite considerably on the young shoulders of forward Joshua Zirkzee — Dutch-born, but also eligible for the Super Eagles — who has 11 league goals and five assists for Bologna this season.
The 22-year-old has been a revelation for the club this campaign, following a tough debut year after joining from Bayern Munich.
He may be without a goal since scoring one and setting up another against Roma three matchdays ago, but Zirkzee is never far from making a mark in one way or the other, and Motta would be hopeful of such an impact when they make the southward trip to Naples.
A more in-form Nigerian who may well light up the game is Victor Osimhen, the reigning African Player of the Year.
While Napoli have laboured through the season, Osimhen has endeavoured to live up to his own high personal standards, netting four times in his last five games to take his overall tally for the season to 17 goals.
That figure is still some way short of the stunning 31 he managed last season, but remains a reminder of what damage Osimhen can still do even with levels slumping all around him, and why he is one of the most coveted strikers in Europe right now.
With Bologna coming to town, trust Osimhen to sense an opportunity to burnish that rich reputation even further.
Napoli vs Bologna H2H
Last 10 Games
September 2023: Bologna 0-0 Napoli
May 2023: Bologna 2-2 Napoli
October 2022: Napoli 3-2 Bologna
January 2022: Bologna 0-2 Napoli
October 2021: Napoli 3-0 Bologna
March 2021: Napoli 3-1 Bologna
November 2020: Bologna 0-1 Napoli
July 2020: Bologna 1-1 Napoli
December 2019: Napoli 1-2 Bologna
May 2019: Bologna 3-2 Napoli
Napoli vs Bologna prediction
Napoli do have the better of the head-to-head data reviewed for this preview of the weekend's game, but based on the teams’ respective form this season, Bologna are the side best-placed to emerge triumphant.
And there is, indeed, very little to stop them from claiming all the spoils.
Napoli vs Bologna confirmed XI
Napoli
- Goalkeeper: Alex Meret.
- Defenders: Giovanni Di Lorenzo, Amir Rrahmani, Juan Jesus, Mathias Olivera.
- Midfielders: Frank Anguissa, Stanislav Lobotka, Jens Cajuste.
- Forwards: Matteo Politano, Victor Osimhen, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia.
Bologna
- Goalkeeper: Federico Ravaglia.
- Defenders: Victor Kristiansen, Riccardo Calafiori, Jhon Lucumi, Stefan Posch.
- Midfielders: Michel Aebischer, Remo Freuler, Kacper Urbanski.
- Forwards: Jens Odgaard, Joshua Zirkzee, Dan Ndoye.
