Lazio vs Bologna

A place in European competition is on the line as Lazio and Bologna go head-to-head in an exciting Serie A matchup.

Lazio head into proceedings in a buoyant mood after dispatching 10-man Bayern Munich 1-0 in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie in midweek, following up a scintillating 3-1 romping of Serie A strugglers Cagliari with another morale-boosting result. However, Maurizio Sarri’s men have developed a nasty habit of throwing away points against sides ranked better than them in the standings ahead of this round, suffering five defeats in eight such contests this season (W2, D1), including a narrow 1-0 loss to Bologna in the reverse fixture in November. Vengeance is a dish best served cold, and ‘I Biancocelesti’ can draw confidence from a four-game winning H2H league streak against Bologna. Unbeaten in their last five competitive outings at the Olimpico (W4, D1), they’ll relish their chances of closing the gap on the Champions League qualification spots with a win here.

Unfortunately for Lazio, this could be the worst possible moment to take on a rampant Bologna side, with Thiago Motta’s men winning their last three Serie A matches by an 8-2 aggregate score. That doesn’t mean ‘I Rossoblu’ can afford to take anything for granted. Except for a hard-earned 2-1 win at relegation-battling Salernitana in December, they’ve gone winless on their ten remaining Serie A travels this season (D7, L3) while conceding 2+ goals on their last three (D1, L2). It’s not all lost yet by any stretch of the imagination, knowing the visitors have taken points on all three top-flight visits to the current top three (D3). Maybe it’s time to turn the script after Bologna consolidated their bid to secure their first UEFA appearance in over 20 years. If it’s any consolation, Bologna held top-four hopefuls Milan to a dramatic 2-2 draw on their last Serie A travel.