Bologna vs Verona prediction: ITALY: Serie A betting tips on match 2024-02-22 19:45.
A 2-1 win away to Lazio on Sunday saw fifth-placed Bologna record a fourth successive Serie A victory for the first time this century and they’ll now target five in a row when they host 18th-placed Verona on Friday evening at the Stadio Renato Dall’Ara. This venue has been somewhat of a fortress for the Red and Blues this season who have picked up more points at home than any other side in the division ahead of this matchday (W10, D2, L1), conceding just seven goals, and dropping points in only one match since the start of October (W9, D1).
That strong defence will likely be the hosts’ route to more success here, as Thiago Motta’s side have not conceded in either of their two meetings with Verona so far this season (W1, D1) and have leaked just two goals across their last seven home H2Hs. Going further back, supporters of Bologna will have no qualms about Verona’s arrival as they’ve lost only twice to them on home soil since the 1977/78 season (W14, D5)!
The Yellow and Blues of Verona don’t hold much of a better away record this campaign either, picking up only one victory all season long on their travels, and that sole victory came all the way back in round 1. Since then, they’ve lost nine of 12 games (D3) on the road, keeping a clean sheet in just two of those matches, although one of those was in their last away fixture at Monza (0-0).
That draw is not an outlier in Verona’s recent form which has seen them share the points in three of their last four games (L1), including a morale-boosting 2-2 draw at home to second-placed Juventus on Saturday. But with just two wins since the start of September, Marco Baroni’s team need to turn their recent draws into victories if they are to avoid dropping out of the division, something they only avoided with the help of a relegation tie-breaker last season.
Players to watch: Riccardo Orsolini has scored three times in Bologna’s last two home matches and has found the net in four of their last six games. New signing Tijjani Noslin notched his first goal for Verona in Saturday’s draw with Juventus and the striker could be critical for his side’s survival prospects this season.
Hot stat: Bologna have conceded just one second-half goal at home all season.