Overview
The transition process from Vincenzo Italiano to Domenico Tedesco in Bologna has not yet taken place as expected. Italiano was the one who helped this team end their title drought, but Tedesco started their term with two consecutive defeats.
Tedesco's first official match ended with a 0-1 defeat to Lazio at home. Bologna then continued to receive a similar result in their away match at Bergamo against Atalanta. With 2 consecutive defeats, Rossoblu are in the group of 7 teams that have not won any points in Serie A.
The separation of two key strikers Jonathan Rowe and Santiago Castro also caused many difficulties for Bologna's attack. The Emilian team has only had 7 shots on target since the beginning of the season, while some newcomers still need more time to integrate.
Before welcoming Sassuolo at Dall'Ara stadium, where Bologna only won 6 matches in Serie A last season, the home team may look for a foothold from their recent head-to-head record. Sassuolo has not won against Bologna in 6 consecutive encounters since May 2022, including a 0-1 defeat right at Mapei in March.
However, Sassuolo is in better form. Neroverdi just won their first victory in Serie A under Alberto Aquilani when they defeated Torino 2-1. After that, they defeated Frosinone on penalties in the 2nd round of the Coppa Italia to win the right to meet Juventus in the round of 16.
Sassuolo has won 3 out of 4 matches since the beginning of the season and is showing proactive play under Aquilani. They are second in Serie A in terms of the number of times they have taken the ball as well as the number of shots, thereby showing a tendency to push up the squad and put pressure to find goals.
However, Sassuolo's biggest weakness lies in their away record. Since the end of last season, when Fabio Grosso was still in charge, Neroverdi has gone through 7 consecutive winless matches away from home.
Personnel situation
Despite letting Jonathan Rowe join Atalanta on the last day of the transfer window, Bologna still managed to bring Arthur Theate and Samuel Mbangula back to Serie A.
Theate may be given the opportunity to debut for the second time in Rossoblu colors right in the upcoming match. Meanwhile, Mbangula's starting ability increased after Riccardo Orsolini suffered a thigh injury.
Orsolini, who has scored for Bologna for 8 consecutive seasons, is likely to be out for most of September, along with Oussama El Azzouzi.
On Sassuolo's side, Domenico Berardi continues to be a noteworthy name. The decisive goal against Torino helped this striker maintain his scoring record for 13 consecutive seasons in Serie A for Neroverdi.
Due to frequent physical problems, Berardi only played part of the second half in the match against Frosinone in midweek when Alberto Aquilani rotated the squad.
Sassuolo is still short of Edoardo Pieragnolo, Fali Cande and Ismael Kone due to long-term injuries, while Sebastian Walukiewicz and Daniel Boloca are also unable to play.
In the opposite direction, two new players in the defense, Ignace Van Der Brempt and Duje Caleta-Car, are likely to make their debuts for Sassuolo.
Expected lineup:
Skorupski, Holm, Heggem, Theate, Miranda, Moro, Ferguson, Bernardeschi, Odgaard, Cambiaghi, Piccoli.
Muric, Van Der Brempt, Idzes, Leysen, Doig, Bakola, Matic, Thorstvedt, Berardi, Bowie, Lauriente.
The match between Bologna and Sassuolo takes place at 11:00 PM on September 6th (Vietnam time).
