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Bologna are set to play Spezia at the Stadio Renato Dall'Ara on Friday in Serie A.
Bologna come into this game on the back of a 1-1 draw against Davide Ballardini's Cremonese in the league. A penalty from Nigerian striker David Okereke for Cremonese was canceled out by an own goal from Romanian center-back Vlad Chiriches for Bologna.
Spezia, on the other hand, lost 2-0 to Jose Mourinho's Roma in the league. Goals from attacker Stephan El Shaarawy and English striker Tammy Abraham secured the win for Roma.
Bologna vs Spezia Head-to-Head and Key Numbers
- In nine head-to-head encounters between the two sides, Bologna have won three games, lost two and drawn four.
- Austrian forward Marko Arnautovic has scored eight goals in the league in 14 starts for Bologna.
- Scottish midfielder Lewis Ferguson has scored three goals for Bologna so far in the league.
- Attacker Riccardo Orsolini has managed four goal contributions in the league in 10 starts for Bologna.
- Angolan striker M'Bala Nzola has 10 goal contributions in 18 starts for Spezia in the league.
Bologna vs Spezia Prediction
Bologna are currently 12th in the league and have won two of their last five league games. They are five points behind seventh-placed Udinese, and will hope to improve their league table position, having finished 13th last season.
Austria international Marko Arnautovic was heavily linked with Manchester United last summer, and the 33-year-old continues to show glimpses of his talent, as he did during his days at West Ham United and Stoke City. Arnautovic has never been a consistent performer, and his topsy-turvy performances over the years have been an embodiment of his mercurial nature.
Now, Arnautovic, having scored eight goals in the league for Bologna so far, has been linked with crisis club Everton. The great hijacking of January was completed when Tottenham Hotspur swooped in to sign Arnaut Danjuma at the last second, after the Dutch forward had already completed a deal to move to Everton.
Spezia, on the other hand, are 15th in the league, five points behind Bologna. They too have won two of their last five league games, and they too have a forward who has scored a high chunk of his team's goals so far, and has been linked with a move away.
M'Bala Nzola has scored nine goals in the league so far, and will surely be attracting interest from clubs across Europe. Spezia have already sold a talented young footballer to a top European club this January; Polish center-back Jakub Kiwior completed his move to Arsenal a few days ago.
We expect Bologna to win this game.
Prediction: Bologna 2-1 Spezia
Bologna vs Spezia Betting Tips
Tip 1: Result - Bologna
Tip 2: Game to have over / under 2.5 goals - Over 2.5 goals
Tip 3: Spezia to score first - Yes
