Preview: Bologna vs. Roma - prediction, team news, lineups

The teams convene at Stadio Renato Dall'Ara, with Jose Mourinho's men sitting seventh after taking just two points from four games; while the hosts are without a win in five - loosening their grip on a top-10 place.

Match preview

Taking one step closer to more continental silverware, Roma edged out Bayer Leverkusen on Thursday evening, in the first leg of the sides' Europa League semi-final tie at Stadio Olimpico.

Last year's Europa Conference League winners took a one-goal lead by virtue of Edoardo Bove's second-half strike, and if they can hold the Bundesliga club at bay in next week's return the Giallorossi will book a ticket for Budapest later this month, where they could meet fellow Serie A side Juventus in the final.

However, such glory - being roared on by a packed Olimpico to success masterminded by Mourinho against his former midfield maestro at Real Madrid, Xabi Alonso - seems a long way from domestic matters at the moment.

Following a tame 2-0 defeat to Inter last week, Roma have not won any of their last four league matches, and another failure on Sunday would equal Mourinho's worst run at the helm in Serie A.

With top scorer Paulo Dybala bedevilled by injuries and both Tammy Abraham and Andrea Belotti failing to fire up front, the capital club have scored only 45 league goals so far, and that represents the leanest season they have endured since 1994, when they tallied 10 fewer at this stage of the campaign.

While their squad has recently been decimated by injuries, leaving Mourinho loudly lamenting his lack of resources compared to Roma's top-four rivals, several players are now returning to fitness - and ahead of their latest visit to the Dall'Ara, they have remained unbeaten in 11 of their last 13 away matches against Bologna.

The last four games between Bologna and Roma in Serie A have seen just three goals scored, after 17 were racked up across the previous four - a sure sign of the Mourinho effect.

After pitting his wits against Xabi Alonso, the Portuguese tactician now faces another pupil vs. master situation on Sunday, when a member of his treble-winning Inter side of 2010 will occupy the home team's dugout.

Thiago Motta was beaten by his old boss in January's reverse fixture in Rome, but he has generally won plaudits for lifting Bologna up the table throughout 2023 - until a recent dip in results.

Away defeats to Serie A strugglers Empoli and Verona have jeopardised hopes of a top-half finish, but on home soil they have held both Milan and Juventus to 1-1 draws since Motta took the reins.

Last week, the Rossoblu slipped to 10th in the table with four games to go - including two testing encounters with Roma and Napoli - and a 1-1 draw in an Emilian derby against Sassuolo means they are on a five-game winless streak ahead of the Giallorossi's arrival.

Bologna Serie A form:

W

D

L

D

L

D

Roma Serie A form:

W

W

L

D

D

L

Roma form (all competitions):

W

L

D

D

L

W

Team News

After no new injuries were reported following the win over Leverkusen - a rarity for Roma in recent weeks - Jose Mourinho can call upon a squad now featuring Georginio Wijnaldum, Chris Smalling and Diego Llorente, all of whom have returned from layoffs.

Marash Kumbulla remains absent, but Zeki Celik is back after a Serie A suspension and will vie with Nicola Zalewski to feature on the visitors' right flank.

Perhaps most pertinently, Paulo Dybala is available again. Though he has previously scored a single goal in seven different Serie A matches against Bologna, the mercurial forward may not be risked from the start; leaving Andrea Belotti, Tammy Abraham and Ola Solbakken to fight it out for two places up front.

Bologna's attacking talisman Marko Arnautovic returned from the bench last week, and the Austrian striker could now be thrown in from the first whistle. However, that would require Thiago Motta to change his policy of playing a false nine.

Due to suspension, right-back Stefan Posch will be missing on Sunday, so either Andrea Cambiaso will deputise or Lorenzo De Silvestri may be given an increasingly rare start.

With Adama Soumaoro having undergone knee surgery this week and Jhon Lucumi returning to Colombia for personal reasons, Jose Sosa should fill in at the heart of the hosts' defence. Meanwhile, Nicola Sansone and Roberto Soriano remain sidelined by injury.

Bologna possible starting lineup:

Skorupski; De Silvestri, Bonifazi, Sosa, Cambiaso; Schouten, Dominguez; Orsolini, Ferguson, Aebischer; Barrow

Roma possible starting lineup:

Patricio; Mancini, Cristante, Ibanez; Celik, Matic, Bove, Zalewski; Pellegrini, Solbakken; Abraham

We say: Bologna 0-0 Roma

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