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Serie A is the last among the major European leagues to resume action post the coronavirus pandemic-induced break. League leaders Juventus will be back in action on Monday night against Bologna FC at the majestic Renato Dall'Ara Stadium.
The Old Lady have not been their dominant self in the Italian top-flight this campaign and were even dethroned from the top of the table by challengers Inter Milan and Lazio on a couple of occasions.
As of now, they hold a precarious one-point lead over Lazio and would like to kick off the rest of the season with a victory. Well, Maurizio Sarri could use a win in the current scenario after his side were beaten to the Coppa Italia title on penalties by his former side Napoli in midweek.
I Rossoblù have enjoyed mixed results this campaign and look destined for another mid-table finish but would head into the fixture with better morale than I Bianconeri given the fact that their head coach Sinisa Mihajlovic signed a contract extension with them until 2023 on June 17.
Both clubs would be vying for a winning start on the resumption of league action, so it would be interesting to see which club comes out on top. Here's everything you need to know the fixture.
Bologna vs Juventus Head-to-Head:
In meeting between these North Italian clubs, Juventus have always had the upper hand. Even in recent fixtures, their domination is quite visible. Bologna have only managed to defeat Juve once since the turn of the century and that win came at the Allianz Arena in 2011. The last time Bologna defeated the visitors at Renato Dall'Ara Stadium was way back in 1998.
In top-flight competitions, the clubs have faced each other 145 times, Juventus have won almost half of those with 74, Bologna winning 23 games, while the remaining 48 ended in a draw. Also, The Old Lady have won 12 of the last 13 fixtures.
Bologna form guide: L-D-L-W-W-W
Juventus form guide: L-D-W-L-W-W
Bologna and Juventus Team News:
Bologna:
Heading into the Serie A after almost four months, there are not many injury concerns for Mihajlovic. 20-year-old winger Andreas Skov Olsen picked up a thigh injury during the club's initial training sessions and might not return to match fitness until next month.
The headache for the coach is the players who will not be available in this crucial fixture due to suspension. Striker Federico Santander, defender Mattia Bani and midfielder Jerdy Schouten all picked up yellow cards in their 2-0 defeat by Lazio in February and will not be eligible for this fixture due to accumulation of yellow cards.
Injuries: Andreas Skov Olsen (thigh)
Doubtful: None
Suspensions: Federico Santander, Mattia Bani, Jerdy Schouten
Juventus:
Italian football resumed in the form of Coppa Italia last week with Juventus reaching the final, only to be defeated on penalties by Napoli. Apart from the loss, the match also took a heavy toll on Sarri's squad, as defender Alex Sandro and midfielder Sami Khedira, who recently recovered from a long layoff, picked up new injuries.
The two stars join Giorgio Chiellini, Merih Demiral, Aaron Ramsey and Gonzalo Higuain in the list of players lacking match fitness. Fortunately, no players are out on suspension and it is understood that Higuain and Ramsey can be match-fit by Monday night.
The loss of Sandro is especially a tricky one for the visitors as they do not have depth in that position and may be forced to play right-back Mattia De Sciglio in that position or start with a three-man defence, a formation that has not worked for them well.
Injuries: Alex Sandro (Knee), Sami Khedira (tendon), Giorgio Chiellini (ACL), Merih Demiral (Knee)
Doubtful: Gonzalo Higuain (Thigh), Aaron Ramsey (fitness)
Suspensions: None
Bologna vs Juventus: Predicted XI
Juventus Predicted XI (4-3-1-2): Wojciech Szczesny; Mattia De Sciglio, Leonardo Bonucci, Matthijs de Ligt, Juan Cuadrado; Miralem Pjanic, Rodrigo Bentancur, Blaise Matuidi; Federico Bernardeschi; Cristiano Ronaldo, Paulo Dybala
Bologna Predicted XI (4-2-3-1): Łukasz Skorupski; Takehiro Tomiyasu, Danilo Larangeira, Stefano Denswil, Mitchell Dijks; Gary Medel, Andrea Poli; Roberto Soriano, Musa Barrow, Riccardo Orsolini; Rodrigo Palacio
Bologna vs Juventus Prediction:
Juventus are at the top of Serie A standings, even though they do not have the best-attacking stats nor the best defensive stat in the Italian top-flight. Cristiano Ronaldo and co. lacked sharpness on the pitch in the Coppa Italia fixture, as one would expect after a three-month hiatus from playing 90 minutes of football.
That being said, it is expected that we will see a stronger, more acclimatized Juventus team against Bologna on Monday. Despite missing a few key players, the visitors might prove too much for the home side, who will be at a disadvantage of having not a full-length match heading into the game.
Juventus have not looked sharp in front of the goal, while defensively they have been decent, so we expect this match to be low scoring, slow-paced fixture.
Final verdict - Bologna 0-1 Juventus
Also See: Juventus home kit for 2020-21 season leaked online
