There's an intriguing Serie A clash taking place on Sunday afternoon. Bologna have collected eighteen points from their first ten games and a victory against Napoli can boost their hopes of challenging for the Scudetto. The home side have won three and drawn one of their four games on home soil, with the team also performing well on the road.
The Azzurri will be looking to stay top in their bid to retain the Scudetto this term. Antonio Conte's side have won three and lost two of their five away games played. They'll be looking to run a right ship although the Serie A betting sites think it's unlikely that they will come away with three points from this game.
Match Result: Bologna v Napoli
Bologna finished ninth in the Serie A standings last season but they're on course for an improved finish this season. The Red and Blues have started the current campaign brightly, with the team especially strong on home soil. The main reason why they sit fifth in the standings is down to excellent form at Stadio Renato Dall'Ara where three wins and a draw have been landed.
Vincenzo Italiano's side are eight games unbeaten in all competitions going into a midweek Europa League clash against Brann. They claimed a 3-1 win away to Parma last weekend after previously playing out 2-2 and 0-0 draws against Fiorentina and Torino respectively. All three of their defeats have been on the road by a single goal.
However, it's a tough ask against a strong Napoli side who are slight favourites to get the victory. Antonio Conte's side won the Scudetto last season and there have been twenty-two points accrued in the space of ten encounters. On the road, the Naples side have earned three wins and also suffered two defeats. They have scored seven times but also conceded on four occasions.
The freak defeat came in the Champions League where Napoli were stunned 6-2 away to PSV, with that being followed by wins against Inter and Lecce. However, the champions were more recently held to a goalless draw by Como and they'll also have had a midweek European encounter against Eintracht Frankfurt.
We can see this being a close run game and perhaps it will end in a draw. We can see the teams cancelling each other out. It wouldn't be a bad outcome in terms of their targets for the season, with Bologna determined to remain unbeaten at home and also preserve that unbeaten run.
Goals Under/Over
The Serie A betting sites aren't convinced that many goals will be scored in this game. There have only been eleven goals in the five Napoli away matches. That's an average that's a little more than two per game. The last two Serie A games involving the Naples side have featured a sum total of one goal. However, that goalless draw against Como saw Napoli register eight shots on target, so the threat is there.
Indeed, there have been seven Napoli games in all competitions where there have been three or more goals scored. As for Bologna, there have been eight goals scored in the space of their four home games. There have been seven goals scored by the Red and Blues, although they are defensively stubborn and have conceded just one.
Four of Bologna's last six matches in all competitions have ended with Over 2.5 Goals. It might therefore be worth taking a chance when it comes to this pick. Especially when the odds about that outcome are so big.
BTTS
The Serie A bookmakers think that BTTS No is a slightly more likely outcome than BTTS Yes. The former probability is around 55% although Bologna have scored a healthy seven goals across four home games. That data is slightly skewed by the fact that four of these goals were scored against Pisa. Since then, there was a goalless draw against Torino where both teams could only muster two shots on target.
Napoli also recently had a goalless draw although that largely came due to Como putting up a strong defensive barrier at the Diego Maradona Stadium. That was preceded by a slender 1-0 win at Lecce and the same sort of game plan will be hatched here. On that occasion they managed three shots on target compared to Bologna's two.
Last April, the two teams played out a 1-1 draw and we can see a similar outcome happening here. Interestingly, the home side managed double the number of shots on target (4) compared to the opposition (2). Previously it was Napoli who was able to claim a 3-0 success at home and they were able to limit the opposition.
First Goalscorer
Riccardo Orsolini might not be particularly well-known outside Italy although the Bologna forward is enjoying the season of his life. The 28-year-old has scored six goals already this season and enjoyed a purple patch between September and October. His performances have earned him an international call-up and the player has been able to score in four home clashes already this term.
We also know that he's on penalties which strengthens his claims when it comes to finding the net. However, Napoli have plenty of viable players who can also find the net. Frank Anguissa has been a reliable source of goals in recent weeks. There was his name on the scoresheet as part of a 3-1 win over Inter before he was able to score the only goal of the game to ensure the points away to Lecce.
Scott McTominay has also been among the goals recently. The former Manchester United midfielder bagged both of his team's goals in that forlorn exercise away to PSV and he also scored a stunning strike against Inter. Rasmu Hojlund also has four goals in his previous five outings and perhaps the Dane will be able to make a difference here.
