Napoli vs. Bologna: Preview

Napoli and Bologna, both adjusting to new managerial leadership, will look for their first Serie A win of the season when they clash on Sunday evening. The hosts, Napoli, had a disastrous start to the season with a 3-0 loss to Hellas Verona, marking their first league defeat in nine years. This defeat underscores the decline of the 2023 Scudetto winners and coach Antonio Conte, who had previously never lost a Serie A opener.

Following a poor title defense that saw Napoli finish 10th, 41 points behind champions Inter Milan, president Aurelio De Laurentiis brought Conte in to restore the club’s fortunes. However, the transition has not been smooth. The future of key player Victor Osimhen remains uncertain, affecting transfer plans, and recent recruitment has been modest, though Brazilian winger David Neres and new center-back Alessandro Buongiorno have joined the squad.

Napoli vs. Bologna: Current Team Form & Head-to-Head

Napoli experienced a disappointing performance as Napoli faltered in the second half at Stadio Bentegodi. The team has now gone winless in their last eight league matches, equaling the club’s longest such streak in 15 years, and narrowly advanced past Modena in the Coppa Italia via a penalty shootout.

This weekend, Napoli faces a tough challenge as they have struggled against Bologna, failing to score in both of last season’s encounters and going three games without a win against them. Bologna aims to win consecutive away matches against Napoli for only the second time in their Serie A history, and the first since 1936.

Despite a challenging season, Bologna finished fifth last term under former coach Thiago Motta, who has since moved to Juventus. New manager Vincenzo Italiano, who had two close calls with Europa Conference League success at Fiorentina, now leads Bologna without major stars like Riccardo Calafiori and Joshua Zirkzee, who moved to the Premier League. Italiano’s side struggled to convert chances in their 1-1 draw with Udinese in the Serie A opener, with new captain Riccardo Orsolini scoring from a penalty.

Team News

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Riccardo Orsolini has been the highest-scoring Italian in Serie A since the 2022-23 season, though his latest goal was not enough to secure a win. With Victor Osimhen not training and Romelu Lukaku not yet signed, Napoli’s forward options for Sunday include Giacomo Raspadori, Walid Cheddira, and Giovanni Simeone. Simeone has previously scored four times against Bologna but is currently enduring his longest-goal drought in Serie A.

New signings Alessandro Buongiorno and David Neres may start on the bench, with Buongiorno recovering from an ankle injury and Neres recently arriving from Benfica. Bologna’s other summer signing, Nicolo Cambiaghi, is out with a serious knee injury, joining Oussama El Azzouzi (also knee) and long-term absentee Lewis Ferguson (ACL) on the sidelines. Emil Holm may make his debut, and Juan Miranda should be involved again.

Napoli vs. Bologna: Starting XI

Napoli’s possible starting lineup: Meret; Di Lorenzo, Rrahmani, Marin; Mazzocchi, Lobotka, Anguissa, Spinazzola; Politano, Kvaratskhelia; Simeone

Bologna possible starting lineup: Skorupski; Posch, Beukema, Erlic, Miranda; Freuler, Aebischer; Orsolini, Fabbian, Ndoye; Castro

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Article originally written by Jaineel Kariya