Napoli travel to Emilia-Romagna to take on Bologna in the penultimate round of 2022/23 Serie A campaign. Luciano Spalletti did not give a pre-match press conference amidst speculation that the Tuscan will leave Napoli at the end of the season. Meanwhile, Thiago Motta, who has been linked to Napoli as a potential replacement for Spalletti, has had an excellent record against the top clubs in the girone di ritorno.
Bologna FC
After a slow start to his tenure at Bologna, Thiago Motta has turned the Rossoblu’s season around. Since their defeat to Napoli in the girone di andata, which caused Bologna to drop to 16th in the table, they have steadily risen in the table.
Motta’s side have been particularly impressive in the second half of the season, taking points from all of the top sides:
- 2-1 victory over Fiorentina on Matchday 21;
- 1-0 victory over Inter on Matchday 24;
- 1-1 draw against Lazio on Matchday 26;
- 2-0 victory over Atalanta on Matchday 29;
- 1-1 draw against Milan on Matchday 30;
- 1-1 draw against Juventus on Matchday 32; and
- 0-0 draw against Roma on Matchday 35.
Five of those seven results were at the Stadio Renato Dall’Ara.
SSC Napoli
Napoli continue to look for reasons to motivate themselves to win matches. Against Inter, the Azzurri were motivated by the possibility of beating all 19 Serie A opponents at least once in a single campaign. With only two matches remaining, Napoli now have their eyes on setting a new club record for points earned in a single season. The current record (91) was set by Maurizio Sarri’s Napoli in 2017/18. With wins over Bologna and Sampdoria, the Partenopei would close the season with 92 points.
Meanwhile, two scoring titles remain up for grabs. With his goal against Atalanta on Saturday, Lautaro Martinez pulled within two goals of Victor Osimhen in the race for Capocannoniere. Meanwhile, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia has failed to record a league assist since Napoli’s 3-0 victory over Spezia on Matchday 21. That has allowed Rafael Leão, Sergej Milinković-Savić, Filip Kostić and Piotr Zielinski to pull within two assists of the Georgian.
Injuries/Suspensions
Adama Soumaoro is out for the season with a ruptured patella and Roberto Soriano is out for the season with an MCL injury. Riccardo Orsolini is suspended after receiving to bookings against Cremonese.
For Napoli, Hirving Lozano is out for the balance of the season with a grade two knee sprain. Mario Rui is expected to miss the match after injuring his right thigh in training on Saturday. Matteo Politano only completed therapy on Saturday after suffering a blunt trauma in training on Friday. Meanwhile, Eljif Elmas is suspended due to yellow card accumulation.
Probable Formations
Manager’s Comments
[Home Coach]:
“I look forward to the match given the way they play. They’ve always played football, in the the three phases of the game, also taking the transition into consideration. They’ve always done well. I hope for the best Napoli possible. They won the championship by a wide margin over the others. It will be a good challenge. Playing against a team of this level is a good challenge.”
Luciano Spalletti:
No pre-match press conference
Previous Meetings
| October 16, 2022 | SSC Napoli | 3-2 | Bologna FC |
| January 1, 2022 | Bologna FC | 0-2 | SSC Napoli |
| October 28, 2021 | SSC Napoli | 3-0 | Bologna FC |
| March 7, 2021 | SSC Napoli | 3-1 | Bologna FC |
| November 8, 2020 | Bologna FC | 0-1 | SSC Napoli |
Match Officials
Head Official: Matteo Marcenaro
Assistants: Marco Bresmes and Marco Trinchieri
Fourth Official: Davide Massa
VAR: Paolo Valeri and Salvatore Longo
