Overview
To consolidate their position in the Europa League play-off group, Bologna defeated Salzburg, scoring 4 goals and launching 24 shots in a confident performance at Dall' Ara.
This victory helped coach Vincenzo Italiano's team to be only 2 points behind the top 8 with 3 more rounds of the tournament.
They have previously overcome Napoli and Udinese in Serie A, scoring 5 goals without conceding any. Notably, last week's 3-0 win at Udine saw Tommaso Pobega score his second brace in Serie A.
As a strong candidate for the top 4, Bologna is on a 12-match unbeaten streak in all competitions. The last time they lost in Serie A was in mid-September, when they were defeated by AC Milan.
Since then, Rossoblu have won 6 and drawn 3 in Serie A, and are only 3 points behind the top team after 12 rounds.
Bologna's rise also showed impressive squad depth, when 11 of their different players scored in the highest level of Italy. Notably, Bologna have earned 7 points - the best result in the tournament - from being behind.
Not only possessing top form, Bologna also has a history of support when Cremonese travels to Dall' Ara this weekend. The away team has not won here for nearly 40 years.
Although 7 of the last 9 encounters between the two teams in Serie A ended in a draw, the most recent confrontation was a painful memory for Cremonese. They suffered a 1-5 defeat when they were relegated to Serie B in May 2023.
Since then, the Lombardy team has returned to Serie A and made an impressive start to the new journey. However, after a series of only one defeat in the first 9 rounds, Cremonese have fallen into difficulty with 3 consecutive losses to Juventus, Pisa and Roma.
Last week, Grigiorossi continued to stumble when they were defeated 3-1 by the Serie A leaders at home. Francesco Folino's first goal in Serie A was also only honorary in the final minutes.
However, under the leadership of Davide Nicola, Cremonese are still far from the danger zone and have no reason to panic. However, they are facing a challenging period that will last until the beginning of next year.
Personnel situation
Once again, Vincenzo Italiano are likely to continue to strongly rotate the squad. Santiago Castro, Emil Holm, Nikola Moro and a number of other players may be given starting positions.
On the away team's side, Federico Bonazzoli is the number one striker with 4 goals. He will partner veteran Jamie Vardy in attack, while Franco Vazquez and Paraguay striker Antonio Sanabria are also potential options.
Expected lineup:
Bologna: Ravaglia, Holm, Lucumi, Vitik, Lykogiannis, Ferguson, Moro, Orsolini, Fabbian, Dominguez, Castro.
Cremonese: Audero, Terracciano, Baschirotto, Bianchetti, Barbieri, Payero, Bondo, Vandeputte, Pezzella, Bonazzoli, Vardy.
The match between Bologna and Cremonese takes place at 2:45 am on November 2 (Vietnam time).
