Third Place on the Line in Bologna vs Juventus
Rossoblu Favored by Bologna vs Juventus Odds
Bologna on Eight Game Unbeaten Run
In a match between two already-qualified Champions League sides from Serie A, Bologna take on newly crowned Coppa Italia champions Juventus on Monday. Bologna have been the story of the season in Serie A, while Juve’s cup win has masked their poor league play as of late. Juve have drawn five straight in Serie A heading into this one, while Bologna are on an eight game unbeaten streak. Hosts BFC are favored by the Bologna vs Juventus odds in a match where the winner will take third place in Serie A, with one more match to go after this.
Bologna vs Juventus
Date & Time: Monday, May 20th, 2:45 p.m. ET
Location: Stadio Renato Dall’Ara, Bologna, Italy
Bologna vs Juventus Head-to-Head
The last two, and three of the last four, Serie A fixtures between Bologna and Juventus have finished 1-1. In last August’s reverse fixture, the Bologna vs Juventus odds listed a draw at +280. Juventus are on a 25 game unbeaten run vs. Bologna and the Rossoblu haven’t defeated Juventus since 2011. Juventus have also scored in 16 straight games vs. Bologna but the gap between the two sides has rarely been as small as it is now.
Bologna Seal Rare Champions League Berth
Bologna took care of business early at Napoli on Saturday. The visitors were up 2-0 by the 12th minute as headers from Dan Ndoye and Stefan Posch found the back of the net. Backup Bologna keeper Federico Ravaglia also saved a Matteo Politano penalty in the 21st minute to preserve a clean sheet. Bologna came away with their 18th win of the season as they clinched a spot in the Champions League.
This season in Serie A, Bologna have been nothing short of phenomenal. They’ve lost just five games under Thiago Motta and have the league’s second-best defensive record. Bologna haven’t lost any of their last eight matches and have qualified for the top UEFA competition for the first time since the 1964 European Cup. It’s likely a club with more financial power will swoop in for Motta and leading scorer Joshua Zirkzee this Summer but Champions League football could prove alluring for a new manager and players.
Unfortunately, Zirkzee, who has scored 11 Serie A goals, suffered an injury vs Napoli. It looks like the Dutch forward will miss Monday’s match as a result. Attacking midfielder Lewis Ferguson is also out, which hurts Bologna’s attacking prospects a fair bit. Riccardo Orsolini has been one of the breakout Serie A players of the last couple of seasons. However, the 10-goal winger hasn’t scored in any of his last five matches.
Juventus Win Record-Extending 15th Coppa Italia
A look at the Juventus standings doesn’t tell the full story of their play lately. They’re in fourth place in Serie A but they haven’t won a league match for over a month. Juventus have drawn their last five Serie A matches and they needed a stoppage time equalizer to get a point vs. last-placed Salernitana last Sunday. Even with growing fan discontent with Massimiliano Allegri and recent results, Juventus still managed to win the Coppa Italia Final on Wednesday.
Dusan Vlahovic has bailed Juve out on plenty of occasions this season and he scored the game’s only goal vs. Atalanta. Juventus have now won a record 15 Coppa Italia titles and it is a silver lining in an otherwise forgettable campaign.
Getting on the scoresheet has been an issue for Juventus lately. They’ve managed to score just seven goals in their last eight matches, in all competitions. Although they rank just eighth in Serie A in goals, Juventus have the third-best defensive record in the league. Defenders Mattia De Sciglio, Danilo and Alex Sandro are the names on the injury report currently.
Bologna vs Juventus Match Analysis & Odds
Even though two of Bologna’s top three scorers will most likely be out for this match, BFC are still favorites. The Bologna vs Juventus odds list the hosts as +145 favorites as they go for their first win over Juventus for 26 games. This has been a draw-heavy fixture over the last couple of seasons and it would mark Juve’s sixth straight in Serie A.
A draw comes in at +215 odds, while Juventus are +210 underdogs for Monday’s match. Bologna pk, -0.5 sits at +110 and Juventus pk, +0.5 is priced at -130. There is a mental hurdle that the Bologna players will have to get through to take down Juventus for the first time in 13 years. However, this has been an anomalous campaign for the Rossoblu and it would be a major achievement to beat Juve and remain in third place in the process.
Juventus could build on Wednesday’s victory but they haven’t been scoring enough lately to inspire confidence. Over two goals display -125 odds for this match but a low scoring game wouldn’t at all be a surprise.
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