Match Preview: Chievo

The last game at the Renato Dall’Ara of the season is upon us. The away-side is fighting against relegation, whilst Bologna are stuck in the middle of no-mans-land. However, having failed a couple of places down the table in recent weeks, Bologna should aim to win this game to possibly climb up to 11th. Here is our preview.

With two games remaining of the season, Bologna find themselves a mere two points behind last years’ point tally. That means that one win is enough to surpass that, and a home game against Chievo in bright sunshine is a splendid opportunity to do just that.

Going into the match against Chievo, Bologna are without a win in three games, with the last win having come against another side from Verona in the middle of April. Time is ripe for another win, and Chievo is a side which Bologna have enough quality to beat. That being said, as they are fighting against relegation, they will undoubtedly do everything they can to leave Bologna with a win. They are currently only a single point above Cagliari in 18th.

But Bologna are also not that far away from Chievo. Five points separate the two teams, and even though Bologna have secured a place in next year’s Serie A (not mathematically), Bologna could end up quite close to the drop if they are to lose the two remaining games. Two wins would send them up on 45 points, which is a decent season. Time will tell where we end up.

News:

There are still some injuries in the squad. Filip Helander is still out injured, whilst Giancarlo Gonzalez has not been training with the group of late, and he is not in the squad for tomorrow’s game. Godfred Donsah has just returned to train with the group, and he could make the game at the weekend. There are also some new injuries as Federico Di Francesco and Riccardo Orsolini both will miss out on the game. Erick Pulgar has returned to training though, and the Chilean is in the squad.

As for the possible team selection, that is not easy to guess. Against Juventus, Roberto Donadoni went for three at the back, with Ibrahim M’baye in central defence alongside Simone Romagnoli and Sebastien De Maio. What formation the former Milan winger will choose this weekend is anybody’s guess, but given the injuries to Di Francesco and Orsolini, my guess is that he’ll continue to deploy three at the back.

We’ll most likely continue to see some of the fringe players being given a chance. Adam Nagy, Felipe Avenatti and Cheick Keita have all impressed of late, and they should be given another chance versus Chievo.

Expected line-up:

Bologna (3-5-2): Mirante; M’baye, Romagnoli, De Maio; Krafth, Poli, Pulgar, Nagy, Keita; Verdi, Avenatti

This game is a good opportunity for the team to win a the final home game of the season, and give the fans something to cheer about. That being said, Chievo will undoubtedly make it tough, so the players will have to play to the best of their abilities to get the three points.