Bologna vs Verona prediction: ITALY: Serie A betting tips on match 2022-08-20 18:45.
Conceding late again proved to be Bologna’s Achilles heel on Serie A (SA) opening weekend, as they surrendered a 1-0 lead in the final 25-minutes to lose 2-1 against Lazio. Bologna do, however, have a tendency to start strong at home in SA, losing just one of their home league openers across the last six seasons (W4, D1), and may therefore welcome the visit of a Verona side they have beaten in four of the last five home H2Hs (D1).
There is already some pressure on manager Siniša Mihajlović, whose side closed out last season with just four wins from their final 19 matches (D7, L8). A tally of 44 goals scored over the course of the last SA campaign was one of the league’s lowest after they failed to net in half of their final home ten outings, perhaps emphasising how crucial it is to retain Marko Arnautović.
Having conceded nine goals in their opening two competitive games this season, including a 5-2 hammering versus Napoli last week after taking the lead, Verona’s focus likely lies at the other end of the pitch, meaning new manager Gabriele Cioffi may be forced to shake up his defence. One option Cioffi has at his disposal is Giangiacomo Magnani, who returned to Stadio Marcantonio Bentegodi on a permanent basis earlier this week, but he alone may not be enough to improve Verona’s alarming rate of conceding 2.1 goals per game across their last eight SA outings.
A trip to Stadio Renato Dall'Ara may not be the best place to arrest that defensive slide given Verona have kept just one clean sheet in their last nine visits (W2, D1, L6). The Mastiffs are usually good for a goal though, with both teams scoring in 15 of their 19 away SA away matches last season – the second highest rate in the Italian top-flight (76%) – so another entertaining affair might be on the cards.
Players to watch: Nine of the last 13 goals Arnautović has netted for Bologna or Austria have been the first or last of the game, including against Lazio last week. Meanwhile, Verona's Kevin Lasagna has scored in their opening two games and boasts a solid personal record against Bologna (W7, D5, L3).
Hot stat: Verona have failed to win any of the last four games in which they have scored the first goal.