Bologna vs Udinese

Stadio Renato Dall’Ara is the venue as Bologna and Udinese lock horns in their opening 2024/25 Serie A fixture.

Bologna defied all expectations in 2024/25 to book their maiden Champions League appearance after securing a first top-five finish in Serie A since 1970/71. Unfortunately, ‘I Rossoblu’ fell victim to their success in the summer. In addition to manager Thiago Motta swapping Dall’Ara for Juventus, standout performers Riccardo Calafiori and Joshua Zirkzee left the club. New coach Vincenzo Italiano has a lot on his plate, with Bologna bidding to get off to a flying start against Udinese, a side they have not lost to across their last six Serie A encounters at this venue (W2, D4). However, the hosts endured a false end to the previous campaign, winning just twice in their final eight league games to conclude a memorable season (D5, L1).

On the other hand, Udinese had long been flirting with the drop last term, largely thanks to a league-high 19 Serie A draws. But they avoided relegation by the skin of their teeth, finishing two points clear of the bottom three, courtesy of a 1-0 final-day win at direct rivals Frosinone. The start of the new season offered Udinese fans renewed hope as new manager Kosta Runjaic marked his competitive debut with a thumping 4-0 Coppa Italia win against third-tier Avellino. The visitors are on the precipice of an unwanted piece of history, facing the prospect of losing their opening league game for a third straight season for the first time since 1961/62. Runjaic will turn to veteran forward Alexis Sanchez to inspire Udinese to a flying start this time, with the Chilean returning to the club after 13 years.