Napoli look to get back to the top of the table after Atalanta’s victory over Sassuolo, while Bologna continue to seek their first win under new coach Thiago Motta.
SSC Napoli
With their win over Ajax on Wednesday, Napoli have won a club record nine consecutive matches in all competitions. The Azzurri attack is firing on all cylinders, leading the Serie A (22) and the UEFA Champions League (17).
While Napoli have excelled in the Champions League and against clubs in the top half of the Serie A table, matches against clubs in the bottom half of the table have been more difficult.
Stronger clubs tend to play higher up the pitch, which gives the Partenopei the opportunity to pass through the press and find space in behind. Lower-ranked clubs play lower and take away the space. Even without André-Frank Zambo Anguissa, who exited the Ajax match with an injury, Luciano Spalletti has enough weapons at his disposal to find a solution.
Bologna FC
Bologna travel to the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona have won only one match all season. Curiously, that match is was won by Luca Vigiani – Bologna’s Primavera coach – while I Rossoblù were in between managers.
Siniša Mihajlović was sacked after failing to record a win through the first five rounds of Serie A. While Bologna have lost to clubs you would expect them to – Lazio, Milan and Juventus – they have also struggled against clubs in the bottom half of the table. Bologna have earned only four total points in matches against Hellas Verona, Salernitana, Spezia, Empoli and Sampdoria.
Injuries/Suspensions
Amir Rrahmani is out for the balance of the calendar year with a strain of the left thigh. Anguissa will also miss this match with a thigh injury, but he’s expected to have a quicker recovery. Anguissa could be available for Napoli’s match against Roma next round. Meanwhile, Victor Osimhen returned from injury and played most of the second half against Ajax.
Three players were left out of Bologna’s squad for this match: right back Denso Kasius; midfielder Jerdy Schouten; and top scorer Marko Arnautovic, who’s suffering from a back problem. Charalampos Lykogiannis was removed from the Sampdoria match due to injury, but was included in the squad. Meanwhile, Musa Barrow returned to the squad after missing two matches due to an ankle injury.
Probable Formations
Manager’s Comments
Luciano Spalletti:
“Bologna has a great squad. They have players like Barrow or Zirkzee, who played at Bayern Munich. They are strong players, and it will be a game that will have its complications: make considerations beyond the modules. You have to bring the ball back to the top and go and get it…It will be a difficult match but we can do it beyond the modules.”
Thiago Motta:
“We worked on everything, to face the next match against Napoli as much as possible. All these situations must serve as a stimulus to me. The most important thing is to prepare ourselves as best as possible for Sunday…It’s a great team coached by a great coach…Napoli does not have only him [Kvaratskhelia], they have many strong players. We will face them as we have done with all the other teams up to now, with strategy.”
Previous Meetings
| January 17, 2022 | Bologna FC | 0-2 | SSC Napoli |
| October 28, 2021 | SSC Napoli | 3-0 | Bologna FC |
| March 7, 2022 | SSC Napoli | 3-1 | Bologna FC |
| November 8, 2020 | Bologna FC | 0-1 | SSC Napoli |
| July 15, 2020 | Bologna FC | 1-1 | SSC Napoli |
Match Officials
Head Official: Francesco Cosso
Assistants: Edoardo Raspollini and Salvatore Affatato
Fourth Official: Giovanni Ayroldi
VAR: Paolo Valeri and Eugenio Abbattista
