Serie A: Bologna vs Napoli Odds, Preview
Defending Champions Head to Bologna
Napoli Has Slight Championship Hangover
Defending Serie A champions Napoli are already five points off the pace in Serie A. The Scudetto-holders came back from two goals down to draw with Genoa on Saturday but haven’t looked anywhere near as good as league leaders Inter Milan so far. They’ll head to Bologna on Sunday, who are on a three-match unbeaten streak. Napoli will look to put an end to that and we’ll see their chances as we preview the Matchday 5 Bologna vs Napoli odds.
Bologna vs Napoli
Date & Time:
Location: Stadio Renato Dall’Ara, Bologna, Italy
Head-to-Head:
Both matches between Bologna and Napoli on last season’s Serie A schedule were high-scoring. Napoli picked up a 3-2 win at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona and the sides drew 2-2 in Bologna. 2022-23 Serie A Golden Boot winner Victor Osimhen scored three goals in this fixture last season. Napoli are unbeaten on their last four trips to Bologna, with two wins and two draws during that time. They’re also unbeaten in the last seven meetings overall.
Bologna Not Easy to Defeat
Bologna’s trip to Verona on Monday finished in a scoreless draw in a match where BFC had the better chances. Still, they couldn’t manage to capitalize and have scored just three goals in four matches this season. Regardless, Bologna has only lost just one of their four matches to kick off the 2023-24 campaign.
Joshua Zirkzee has looked like Bologna’s biggest threat so far and he created a few chances in their last match vs. Hellas Verona. Bologna’s Serie A scores have been quite low, though. Only one of their four matches has finished with three goals. Since conceding twice to AC Milan in their opener, they’ve conceded just twice.
During their three-match unbeaten run, Bologna managed to draw with Juventus 1-1 on the road. BFC also finished last season on a five-match unbeaten streak, so they’ve lost just one of their last nine Serie A games. Last season’s ninth-place finish was also their best since the 2011-12 season.
Napoli Escape Portugal With a Win
Napoli opened up their 2023-24 Champions League campaign on the road at SC Braga. The Partenopei’s captain, Giovanni Di Lorenzo, opened up the scoring with a left-footed strike. Napoli striker Victor Osimhen assisted Di Lorenzo but had a bunch of chances on Wednesday that he couldn’t manage to finish. Braga capitalized on Napoli’s wastefulness and equalized in the 84th minute.
In the 88th minute, a Braga defender put a Napoli cross into his own net and Napoli escaped Portugal with a 2-1 win. Napoli looked vulnerable at times and they also drew 2-2 at Genoa in Serie A last weekend. Genoa managed to go up 2-0 and Napoli had to complete a comeback to salvage a point. With two wins, one draw, and a loss, Napoli are currently in fifth place in the Serie A standings.
They certainly haven’t hit their stride yet and star winger Khvicha Kvaratskhelia is still looking for his first goal of the season. It’s going to be difficult for Napoli to defend their Serie A title under new coach Rudi Garcia. Still, they should be one of Italy’s best teams this season. For Sunday’s match, the Bologna vs Napoli odds price the visitors as favorites.
Match Analysis & Odds
Napoli have scored at least twice in each of their last five matches vs. Bologna. The Partenopei have averaged two goals per game this season and there’s no reason they can’t put a few goals past Bologna on Sunday. The Bologna vs Napoli odds list Napoli as -120 favorites to come away with a victory. No outfield players are currently on the injury report for Napoli, so their duo of Osimhen and Kvaratskhelia could run riot.
Bologna’s defense has done a good job limiting their opponents’ opportunities in recent weeks, though. After AC Milan put six shots on target in their 2-0 season-opening win at Bologna, BFC, and keeper Lukasz Skorupski have faced just five shots on target in the three games since.
Hosts Bologna are +300 underdogs and last won at home vs. Napoli in 2019. BFC +0.5 shows even odds, while Napoli’s ATS and moneyline odds are the same for Sunday’s match. With Bologna’s defense doing their job admirably, under 2.5, 3 goals are priced at -120 odds for the match. Bettors can also lock in a draw at +285 odds for this Serie A matchup.
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