The battle for the Champions League qualifying places is going to be very exciting to watch in Serie A this season. With Napoli and Juventus considered the main contenders for the league title, this leaves the clubs behind them battling for two remaining Champions League qualifying places. Lazio have been in great form and could enter the mix, while Sampdoria, Fiorentina and AC Milan will all hope to have a say in the matter. This leaves Roma with plenty of work to do and they must take maximum points from this home match against Bologna if they are to keep themselves in contention for the top four this season.
Serie A – Stadio Olimpico – Saturday 28th November – 19:45 UK Time
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Draw Best Odd of: 19/4 at Ladbrokes |
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Roma
BolognaRoma Form
Roma come into this match having won their last 2 games in Serie A and they have responded well to the 1-0 defeat at home to Napoli on the 14th October. That match was always going to be a test of Roma’s title credentials this season and they fell short, so it was vital they responded and the 3-3 draw at Chelsea in the Champions League was the perfect way to do that. Having held the Premier League champions at Stamford Bridge, Roma returned to domestic action with a 1-0 win at Torino and a 1-0 home victory against Crotone on Wednesday night. Roma have kept a clean sheet in 5 of their last 7 Serie A games and have lost just 4 of their last 24 at home.
Bologna Form
Bologna enjoyed a run of 3 consecutive victories in Serie A between 24th September and 15th October. There were away wins at Genoa and Sassuolo, both 1-0 and a 2-1 home victory against SPAL. However, since the win against SPAL, Bologna have lost 2 games against Atalanta, which was a 1-0 away defeat and a 2-1 home loss to high-flying Lazio. Bologna have won 3 of their 5 away Serie A games this season, which has been a good record but all 3 victories have come at teams below them in the table. They have lost both matches against teams currently above them in Serie A. Bologna have scored 1 goal in 4 of their 5 away games this season.
Team News
Roma will be without the injured trio of Kostas Manolas, Rick Karsdorp and Emerson for this game. They are expected to start in a 4-3-3 formation with Edin Dzeko the focal point of the attack. Bologna will start the match in a similar shape to the hosts but have several injury concerns. First choice goalkeeper Antonio Mirante is ruled out so Angelo Da Costa will come in for his second match of the season.
Top Betting Tips
Roma are undefeated in their last 7 league games against Bologna and will see this as a great opportunity to get 3 more points on the board. Roma are 5/18 favourites with Ladbrokes to win this match. Roma have conceded 2 goals in their last 7 Serie A games and with Bologna averaging less than a goal a game away from home this season, the hosts will hope to keep to a clean sheet. You can get 6/5 with Ladbrokes for Roma to win the match to nil. In fact, this could be a low scoring game and with Roma winning to nil, we could also see under 2.5 goals being scored. Roma to win and under 2.5 goals is 3/1 with Ladbrokes.