Bologna vs Udinese – News and Probable Lineups

Separated by a single point in Serie A, mid-table teams Bologna and Udinese will clash at Stadio Dall’Ara this Monday.

While the Rossoblu have enjoyed back-to-back victories, the Friulani have faced defeats in their last two matches.

Match overview

After a sharp decline in the Serie A standings, winning only two of their previous 13 league games, and having their Coppa Italia title defense cut short, Bologna is now likely to focus on the Europa League.

Currently languishing in eighth place, Bologna recently suffered defeat to Lazio in the cup quarter-finals, effectively cutting off their last domestic route back into European competition.

Therefore, their 1-0 victory against SK Brann in the first leg of their Europa League playoff must have come as a relief for the pressured head coach Vincenzo Italiano.

Following a run of four consecutive league losses, Santiago Castro once more emerged as the matchwinner against Torino, demonstrating his critical role in leading his team closer to the last 16.

Now aiming for successive league victories for the first time since November, Bologna will strive to turn their fortunes around at Dall’Ara.

However, the Emilian club has faced four straight defeats at home in the top division, potentially staring down the barrel of five consecutive home losses for only the second time in their Serie A history.

Consequently, Italiano’s team has fallen significantly behind the competition for the top six, sitting just one point ahead of Udinese, whom they defeated 3-0 in their earlier encounter this season.

After securing back-to-back league victories for the first time since September, Udinese’s brief spell of success came to an unexpected halt in the past fortnight.

A 3-1 away win against Hellas Verona propelled them into the top 10, which they further cemented by overcoming Roma, but Kosta Runjaic’s side then fell to a late goal against Lecce and suffered a home defeat to Sassuolo.

After narrowly missing a point with a last-minute goal at Stadio Via del Mare, the Friulani squandered a significant lead in their previous match, following Oumar Solet’s second goal in consecutive games.

Once again, the French defender found no reward as Sassuolo struck twice within a three-minute span shortly after halftime.

However, Udinese is on track to meet their goal of a safe mid-table finish, with Runjaic successfully managing the club’s competitiveness while nurturing players for potential transfers.

As they approach their game in Emilia-Romagna, it is worth noting that his squad has only won six of their past 17 Serie A away matches, managing to keep just two clean sheets in those outings.

Team News

Planning to rotate his squad while keeping an eye on the upcoming midweek match against Brann, Italiano has nearly a full selection available.

Defensive pair Eivind Helland and Lorenzo De Silvestri – both excluded from Bologna’s updated UEFA squad – are available, leaving only Charalampos Lykogiannis sidelined.

Castro and Riccardo Orsolini share the lead as Bologna’s top scorers, even though the latter has seen a dip in form recently.

Nonetheless, Orsolini boasts prior involvement in seven league goals against Udinese, which includes his inaugural Serie A goal back in September 2018.

Conversely, Udinese’s top scorer Keinan Davis is still sidelined due to injury, and there are questions about Solet’s fitness owing to a flexor injury.

If deemed fit, the highly-rated center-back – who ranks among the best in Serie A for ball recoveries – could likely feature in a back three, although Runjaic adapted to a four-man formation against Sassuolo.

With Davis out, either Vakoun Bayo or Adam Buksa is expected to partner Nicolo Zaniolo up front.

Bologna probable starting XI:

Skorupski; Zortea, Heggem, Lucumi, Miranda; Freuler, Moro; Orsolini, Odgaard, Rowe; Castro

Udinese probable starting XI:

Okoye; Bertola, Kristensen, Kabasele; Ehizibue, Atta, Karlstrom, Ekkelenkamp, ​​Zemura; Zaniolo; Bayo

Desperate for a long-overdue home win, Bologna could find themselves frustrated again, as Udinese generally performs well away from home.

These teams have shared points in their last two Serie A meetings at the Dall’Ara – out of the last six fixtures, five have ended in draws – hence that pattern may repeat on Monday.