AS Roma vs Bologna prediction: ITALY: Serie A betting tips on match 2023-01-03 15:30.
Despite spending the World Cup break in seventh place following three consecutive Serie A (SA) games without victory (D2, L1), and a three-point deficit from city rivals Lazio, Roma are reportedly very happy with the work of their stellar manager José Mourinho. However, it seems they will be fighting for him to stay – at least following this season – as he was in talks with Portugal and Brazil to take over their national teams.
Should Roma not qualify for Champions League football once again, the Portuguese strategist may be forced to leave club football for the first time in his 20+ year managerial career. Courtesy of one solitary home win in SA since the start of September (D1, L3), Roma are lamenting one of the league’s worst home records, which has played a significant role in their downfall.
Bologna are getting ready for their first top-flight match following December’s passing of former manager Siniša Mihajlović. Whilst his sacking in September was not taken well by some loyal fans, Bologna’s on-field SA results improved sharply in the month prior to the break, with a 3-0 win over Sassuolo in their previous outing their fifth from their last six competitive outings under Thiago Motta.
When assessing Bologna’s away record this season, this trip should shed some light on where both clubs stand post-World Cup. All five of Bologna’s away losses this SA season were against teams ranked fifth or higher at the start of this round (aggregate score: 4-16), pointing to this game against top-four hopefuls Roma as an indication of whether they can improve or not.
Players to watch: After missing five of Roma’s last six SA games due to injury, World Cup winner Paulo Dybala will look to add to the seven goals he’s scored from his last nine SA H2H appearances of at least 30 minutes. Already fit and flying with some December friendly minutes and goals under his belt, Bologna’s Marko Arnautović already has eight SA goals to his name including five match opening goals.
Hot stat: Roma’s 1-1 draw at home to Torino immediately before the World Cup break was the only one of their seven SA home games this season not won by the team to score first.