Just a very brief look at one of today's Serie A fixtures ........

 

Relegation "six pointer", the visitors are four points from safety and a further one behind Bologna and will surely be looking for maximum points today. They have won just once in 14 starts, that was an amazing 4-3 defeat of Milan in a match that without (too much) exaggeration could/should have been 4-9 and arrive today without two suspended players in much admired striker/right winger Domenico Berardi (21 appearances-12 goals -6 assists) and fellow front man Simone Zaza (23-5-0).

There are key players and there are key players, when Beradi has played 17 minutes or less, Sassuolo are 0-0-7 with a goal difference of 2-23 ! But wait, they have won four games this season, in which they have scored 12 goals, Beradi has scored nine and assisted with two others in those fixtures !!! Hard to think of a more important single offensive player to any team in Serie A this season, based solely on stats.The visitors are also without a handful of long term injuries , including what could have been cover for Beradi and they look up against it today. They do have a big squad and added to it with 12 signings in the January transfer window, which smacked of desperation, as did yet another managerial merry go round in Italy, with coach Eusebio Di Francesco sacked and replaced by Alberto Malesani, but reinstated this week after his replacement lost five in a row, as I have said before.....only in Italy !

 

Bologna have not scored in three since winning on the road at Torino, but trips to Verona and Milan and a visit from Roma never promised too much and this is the fixture they would have been targeting and they will welcome the lower level of opposition, the missing strikers are a bonus, especially given that Beradi had a goal and assist in the reverse meeting.

But, but, but, hings are never entirely straight forward though and the Rossoblu also have to deal with a couple of suspensions of their own in left back Archimede Morleo (21-0-0) and striker Jonathan Cristaldo (19-3-1) , winger Panagiotis Kone (22-4-1) is injured, along with right back György Garics (24-1-2). Without both starting full backs they look vulnerable and a full strength visitor would have been attractively priced to take advantage, however, it might be that Floccari and Floro Flores, who are experienced strikers with well over 100 Serie A goals between them, will flourish in the absence of the younger players. Like the Valenciennes game last night, I do favour Bologna to find a way to win, but find it very hard to see how it will be without conceding and favouring head over heart, I have gone for 1.25 units "over" 2.5 goals 2.26 asian line/Ibramarket.

 

Bologna: Curci, Malagoli (16), Stojanovic,  Antonsson, Cech, Cherubin, Crespo, Mantovani, Natali, Sorensen,  Krhin, Friberg, Ibson, Laxalt, Perez,  Acquafresca, Bianchi, Christodoulopoulos, Paponi, Moscardelli.