Bologna vs Benevento Preview:
Possible starting lineups:
Bologna:
Skorupski; Tomiyasu, Danilo, Soumaoro, Dijks; Dominguez, Schouten; Orsolini, Soriano, Sansone; Barrow
Benevento:
Montipo; Depaoli, Glik, Caldirola, Barba; Hetemaj, Schiattarella, Viola; Insigne, Caprari; Lapadula
Bologna host the neighbors on the table - Benevento - at the empty Stadio Renato Dall'Ara. Both teams are looking for three points knowing that a win would lift them into 11th place in Serie A. As I already wrote, Bologna and Benevento are neighbors on the table. They are sharing the 13th place with 23 points, eight more than the drop zone. So far they are out of the relegation battle, but there is no space for any relaxation. Just few bad results could see them dropping on the table. I am sure Sinisa Mihajlovic's men will enter the game fully motivated. The actual form is good, despite the fact they have two victories and two defeats on the last four matches in Serie A. The reason is because the defeats came against title-pretenders Milan and Juventus. The two victories were obtained against Verona and Parma. The Rossoblu outplayed Parma at Enio Tardini in the last round and won 3:0 as guests. Musa Barrow was the 'Player of the Match' after scored two first-half goals and virtually decided the match, Winger Riccardo Orsolini netted the third goal in the stoppage time. I believe the atmosphere in the squad is now better, while the players confidence is higher. Coach Mihajlovic has some injury and suspension worries ahead of this match. Midfielder Mattias Svanberg will miss the match through suspension. His absence is a handicap knowing he took part in 19 matches in Serie A and scored two goals. That's not all as loan signing Paolo Farago and striker Federico Santander remain out injured. Veteran midfielder Gary Medel is struggling with a calf issue and is not likely to play here. Musa Barrow will definitely continue to lead the line after scoring a brace last week.
Benevento are newcomers in Serie A, so the fact they are out of relegation zone should pleased the fans. Coach Pippo Inzaghi is doing a solid job and his team should avoid the relegation if continue with the good results. But the current form isn't at desired level. Benevento have no win on the last five matches in Serie A, losing three of them. They lost to Atalanta, Crotone and Inter, conceding four goals in each game. In the remaining two matches Benevento played a 2:2 draw with Torino and an 1:1 draw with Sampdoria last week. Gianluca Caprari surprised Emil Audero from a remarkable angle to give Benevento the lead after 55 minutes. Audero did keep the guests in with a couple of good saves, which proved crucial by the time Mikkel Damsgaard set up Keita’s tap-in equalizer. in the 80th minute. After the match coach Inzaghi said he is convinced Benevento are ‘on the right path’ after the draw. However, one thing is clear, the defense need to be improved. Benevento have received 15 goals on the mentioned five matches, an average of three per game. Maybe the problem is connect with the coach - Pippo was excellent striker that always prioritized the attack. It is not a surprise his club hold the second-worst defensive record in Serie A, with 41 goals conceded in total. Inzaghi has some additional issues for this match as two important players - Artur Ionita and Riccardo Improta - are suspended due to accumulated yellow cards. Ionita are yet to miss a single match for the club, while Improta has played 20 of the 21 Serie A matches. That's not all as full-back Gaetano Letizia is out injured. New loan signing Adolfo Gaich is looking for a place in the starting eleven.
Bologna vs Benevento Prediction:
Benevento won the reverse fixture at the Vigorito played in October, as Gianluca Lapadula scored the lone goal in the 66th minute. Both Lapadula and his fellow striker Gianluca Caprari were in good form back then, while now is quite different. Benevento have no win on the last five league games and the players confidence is lower. Plus, the guests are missing some important players due to injury and suspension. Bologna should win this match.
Bologna vs Benevento Pick: Home win @ 1.85 with Bwin