Bologna vs Brann – News and Probable Lineups

After taking a narrow lead with a single goal in the first leg, Bologna will look to complete the task on Thursday as they face SK Brann again in the Europa League playoffs.

Competing to face either Roma or Freiburg in the next round, these teams will meet for the third time this season, following a league-phase draw at Stadio Dall’Ara and an Italian victory last week in Noruega.

Match overview

With a recent resurgence in form, Bologna established a vital advantage last Thursday night when Santiago Castro scored early to secure a win in Brann.

Consequently, the Emilian squad is well-positioned to advance from their first UEFA knockout match in 26 years and has also extended a remarkable unbeaten streak in the Europa League.

After suffering a loss to Aston Villa on the opening matchday, Bologna has remained unbeaten in their subsequent eight fixtures, marking their best run without defeat in Europe since 1971.

Finishing 10th in the league phase narrowly denied them automatic qualification for the last 16, so Vincenzo Italiano’s squad must take an alternate route while aiming to stop their decline in the Serie A table.

The previous year’s Coppa Italia winners faced a mid-season slump, struggling to accumulate points and getting eliminated from the cup, though some signs of recovery have since emerged.

In addition to defeating Brann, the Rossoblu have managed to climb back to eighth place, achieving league victories over Torino and Udinese, with the latter ending a four-match losing streak at home.

Nevertheless, there still appears to be no domestic pathway back to Europe, making the Europa League their primary objective.

Bologna has a flawless home knockout record in their continental history—having won 16 and drawn 11 of 27 previous matches—so historical trends suggest they should at least progress to the next round.

In contrast, Brann secured their playoff berth by finishing 24th—the last playoff position—after gathering only one point from their last three league-phase encounters.

Despite this narrow passage—matching the club’s previous best showing in the second-tier European competition, which lasted until the last 32 in 2007-08—Freyr Alexandersson’s team now must achieve victory at the Dall’Ara to progress.

Brann concluded the previous season in Noruega’s top league in fourth place, thereby qualifying for next year’s Conference League, but they have since been dormant in domestic competitions due to mid-winter.

A new Eliteserien season will begin in the middle of next month, but they must first aim to improve upon their previous result during their November visit to Bologna.

In that match, they were held to a goalless stalemate by their hosts, who were playing with ten men, which prolonged the Bergen club’s search for their first win against Italian opposition.

Not only have they not won any of their four previous encounters with Serie A teams—without even finding the net—but Brann has also secured only one victory from their last 12 European knockout matches away from home.

Team News

Should Noruega international Torbjorn Heggem recover from a minor hip issue, head coach Italiano is likely to have all key players available, leaving just three defenders sidelined.

Former Brann player Eivind Helland and veteran full-back Lorenzo De Silvestri have been excluded from the Rossoblu’s UEFA squad list, while Charalampos Lykogiannis, who received a red card during the last meeting in November, is currently injured.

Thijs Dallinga and Castro will continue competing for a forward position: the latter started the home victory over Udinese on Monday and has scored in three of his last four outings.

Having only participated in pre-season friendlies and a few Europa League matches, Brann has been absent from competitive domestic action for several weeks but is also plagued by an extensive injury list.

Saevar Atli Magnusson, Eggert Aron Gudmundsson, Jonas Torsvik, Niklas Jensen Wassberg, Sakarias Opsahl, and Chilean striker Niklas Castro are all unavailable to play.

Jacob Sorensen, likely to start in the visiting midfield, recorded the highest number of duels won (62) during the league phase.

Bologna probable starting XI:

Skorupski; Zortea, Lucumi, Casale, Miranda; Ferguson, Freuler, Moro; Bernardeschi, Cambiaghi; Castro

SK Brann probable starting XI:

Duneland; De Roeve, Knudsen, Boakye, Soltvedt; Mhyre, Sorensen, Ingason; Mathisen, Holm, Thorsteinsson

Bologna outperformed Brann during their November encounter—despite being reduced to 10 men midway through the first half—and they carry a crucial lead from the away fixture.

Having also reversed their mid-season downturn, the hosts can secure another victory in Emilia-Romagna to advance safely to the next round.