Bologna vs Lazio

Stadio Renato Dall’Ara is the venue as Bologna and Lazio go head-to-head in a top-half Serie A contest.

Bologna lived up to their tag as ‘stalemate specialists’ last weekend, dropping an early lead in a 1-1 draw at Sassuolo, their sixth in nine Serie A matches (W3). However, ‘I Rossoblu’ haven’t lost a league game since a 2-0 home defeat to AC Milan on the opening weekend, accounting for their longest undefeated streak in the top flight since 2009. No strangers to upsetting the apple cart, Thiago Motta’s men have taken points against Juventus and Inter Milan (D2), suggesting now could be a perfect time to arrest a three-game winless H2H run in Serie A (D1, L2). Worryingly for the Bologna faithful, the hosts have failed to get on the scoresheet in three of their last four encounters against Lazio in all competitions.

In the meantime, Ciro Immobile’s last-minute penalty inspired Lazio to a nervy 1-0 home triumph over Fiorentina, extending their winning streak in Serie A to three matches. But there’s no time to gloat, as they start this round three points adrift of fourth-placed Atalanta, mainly thanks to their underwhelming form away from home. Maurizio Sarri’s men have suffered three defeats on their five Serie A travels this season (W2), conceding multiple goals in each loss. ‘I Biancocelesti’ can take confidence from their stellar H2H record against Bologna, considering they’ve lost just two of their 21 H2Hs since 2012 (W11, D8), not to mention registered ten clean sheets in the process. One such came in a tepid 0-0 draw in this fixture last season.