Renato Dall'Ara will host Bologna vs Napoli Serie A battle as both teams lock horns for a win on Sunday evening. Kick-off is scheduled at 17:00 BST, 24 September 2023.
Having kicked off their Champions League campaign with a win at Braga, Napoli will resume the defence of their Serie A title once more away at Bologna.
Thiago Motta's men defeated promoted Cagliari just before international football intervened, having understandably picked up only one point from their opening pair of fixtures against Milan and Juventus.
Will the home side pick up their second win of the season or will it be business as usual for Napoli who're looking to close the gap on the league leaders?
Bologna vs Napoli probable lineups
Here are our probable lineups for this Serie A clash:
Bologna
Goalkeeper: Lukasz Skorupski
Defenders: Stefan Posch, Sam Beukema, Jhon Lucumi, Victor Kristiansen
Midfielders: Remo Freuler, Nikola Moro, Dan Ndoye, Lewis Ferguson, Jesper Karlsson
Forwards: Joshua Zirkzee
Napoli
Goalkeeper: Alex Meret
Defenders: Mario Rui, Juan Jesus, Leo Ostigard, Giovanni Di Lorenzo
Midfielders: Piotr Zielinski, Stanislav Lobotka, Frank Anguissa
Forwards: Kvicha Kvaratskhelia, Victor Osimhen, Giacomo Raspadori
Bologna vs Napoli confirmed lineups
Bologna
Napoli
*Lineups will be automatically updated shortly after they're released
Bologna vs Napoli predictions
Napoli have not been at their best so far this season but a victory over Bologna will ease some of the pressure on coach Rudi Garcia who has not proved a particularly popular appointment since Luciano Spalletti left. This is largely due to the couple of recent Serie A setbacks the team has recorded. Here are three predictions for this clash.
Prediction 1: Napoli to Win
The Partenopei have won on four of their last seven trips to Stadio Dall'Ara, but after a mixed start to the season they sit just two points clear of their Emilian hosts in the standings. However, Bologna have recently won only one of seven home matches against their Campanian counterparts in the league, and none since May 2019, so precedent is not on their side this weekend. Due to this, we're backing the Victor Osimhen led Napoli attack to overpower the host.
Prediction 2: Both Teams to Score
It's important to point out that this fixture saw both teams scoring in their last two meetings last season. Also, two of four Serie A games for Bologna this season has ended with goals on both sides, while three of four Serie A matches that Napoli have played have ended on similar note. Going by these, we fancy a goal-goal affair here.
Prediction 3: Over 2.5 Total Goals
Napoli have played five games in all competitions this season; four of those games produced at least three goals. While just one of Bologna's Serie A match has seen three goals, it's worthy to note that this fixture last season produced over 2.5 goals in the home and away skirmish. We're fairly confident this will continue this season.
Bologna vs Napoli Head-to-Head
In the head-to-head records, this fixture has taken place 16 times since 2015. Napoli have won 11 times, Bologna have won 3 matches, while 2 matches ended in a draw.
Last five results between them:
Bologna recent form
Since losing their first Serie A game, Thiago Motta's men have gone on to register one win and two draws in the league.
Napoli recent form
Rudi Garcia's side have won two, drawn one and lost one in four Serie A matches this season. They're yet to produce the form of last season, but with Inter Milan emerging with an early lead on the standings, Napoli needs to start winning games in order to defend the Scudetto.
Where to watch Bologna vs Napoli live in Nigeria
The Bologna vs Napoli match will be broadcast live on SuperSport for DSTV and GOTV subscribers in Nigeria.
The match kicks off at 17:00 BST, fans can tune in 30 minutes from the time to catch up with the match build-up analysis and expert opinions from the pundits.
This article was most recently revised and updated 3 weeks ago
