Bologna vs Juventus Prediction: Low scoring game expected

The Monday night match from Serie A (19:45, TNT Sports 1) for Matchday 37 is one between two sides separated by just goal difference but both of whom will be playing in the Champions League next season.

Our Serie A expert Daniele Fisichella takes a look at this one and provides his best Bologna vs Juventus predictions for the match ahead...

Expect a jubilant atmosphere on Monday night at the Stadio ‘Renato Dall’Ara’ to celebrate the hosts’ qualification to Europe’s top competition for the first time in 60 years.

This campaign, Bologna have been Serie A’s wonder team as they impressed for their progressive and audacious style of play.

With two games to go, the Felsinei have the opportunity to consolidate their third place in the table and finish above their archrivals Juventus.

On Wednesday, the Bianconeri ended their four-year trophy drought with a deserved, and unexpected, win over Atalanta. A 1-0 success built on Juve’s dogma under Massimiliano Allegri: a solid defensive performance and strong character.

Not a spectacular win but a long-awaited and hard-fought victory nonetheless, that yet does not cancel this season’s struggles.

In fact the ‘Old Lady’, after a promising start to the campaign, with 16 wins in the first 21 league games, has seen its form falling off a cliff from February onwards.

The visitors have collected only 15 points in the last 15 games, as they won only two of them (against Frosinone and Fiorentina, both at home), and recorded a -2 goal difference.

Despite having not played in Europe this season, Juventus are now two points worse off compared to last year and would need to win on Monday, and next weekend against Monza, to achieve a better tally than in 2022/2023.

In the end, Allegri’s men, who are winless away from home since 21 January, would probably need to thank Atalanta whose victory over Roma last Sunday handed Juve, and Bologna, the mathematical qualification to the Champions League.

This season, Bologna have been one of the most entertaining and competitive teams in the league, achieving something that would have been almost unthinkable nine months ago.

The hosts have only been defeated once (1-0 by Inter) in their last 16 games and have produced strong performances against all of Italy’s top teams.

It’s no secret that the main candidate to replace Allegri on the Juve’s bench this summer is indeed Thiago Motta.

Perhaps Monday’s game, the last at home for Bologna, might serve the young coach as the main audition for the job in Turin and a farewell to his adoring fans.

Team News:

The Rossoblù will be without the injured Zirkzee. Odgaard will play upfront with the support of Ndoye and Saelemaekers; however, Orsolini is also in contention for a start. Freuler will act in front of the back four, with Aebischer and Fabbian more advanced. Beukema is ahead of Lucumì to play as centre-back. Skorupski should return in goal.

In the Bianconeri’s camp, Chiesa and Vlahovic will start in attack, but both Yildiz and Milik will feature during the game. The midfield trio will be made of Locatelli, McKennie and Rabiot. Cambiaso and Iling-Junior will be the wing-backs. Danilo will return in defense and Szczesny will play in goal.

Bologna vs Juventus Odds

*Please click on the link above to be taken to the main Bologna vs Juventus market page on betfred.com (or app) for all the live betting prices on this match.

Looking at the odds, this match is expected to be extremely balanced.

Bologna (whose win pays 6/4) are in better form than Juventus, but the visitors have remained unbeaten in 41 of the last 42 games against Monday’s hosts in Serie A.

In fact Bologna’s last home win came in 1998 (3-0), since then there have been six draws and 14 Juve’s victories at the ‘Renato Dall’Ara’.

The odds for Juventus are 2/1, the Bianconeri are winless on the road in the last eight games in all competitions.

The visitors have shared the points for five consecutive league games for the first time since May 2009 and since March no other team has drawn more games (8) than them in Europe’s top five leagues.

Bologna have been beaten in just one (1-0 against Inter) of the last 16 games, but the previous two home matches have ended in a draw (odds 21/10 for this result on Monday night).

Low odds for the Under 2.5 Goals (4/7) as this has been a winning bet in five of Bologna’s last six Serie A home games.

Three of the last four games between these two sides have ended 1-1, and only two of Juve’s last 11 games, in all competitions, have produced more than two goals.

The Over 2.5 Goals, odds 5/4, offer you the opportunity to double your stake.

Both Teams To Score – No @ 4/5

The defensive phase is the real secret of Bologna’s success, not only in terms of positional defending but also the counter pressing approach and the team’s synchronized movements.

The hosts have conceded only 27 goals so far and have Serie A’s second-best defence behind Inter.

If they manage a clean sheet in each of their last two games, they’d end up the campaign with fewer goals conceded than the last five clubs that won the Scudetto.

In fact, last season, Napoli let in 28 goals. The previous year, AC Milan under Stefano Pioli conceded 31. In 2021/2022, Antonio Conte’s Inter record was 35, and the last two times Juventus won the title they conceded 41 with Maurizio Sarri and 34 with Massimiliano Allegri.

Bologna or Draw, Under 3.5 Goals and Bologna to get over 2.5 corners @ 10/11 via #PickYourPunt

Bologna has only lost three of the 17 games they’ve played against teams occupying the top half of the table, failing to score in just four occasions.

Thiago Motta’s men’s home record is second only to the champions (40 points, five fewer than the Nerazzurri) as they’ve only conceded nine goals, just one more than Torino.

After a good start to the campaign, Juve’s good defensive record, with five clean sheets in the first six games on the road, has quickly vanished. In fact, excluding the derby against Torino, Juve have conceded at least a goal in all of their last six away games.

You can check out all of Daniele's Football Betting Tips here each week along with those of our other Football writers...