Fiorentina vs Bologna Prediction: Close battle expected in Florence

A place in the semi-finals of the Coppa Italia is up for grabs when Fiorentina take on Bologna in Florence on Tuesday night.

The two rivals will compete in the latest derby dell'Appennino and there should be little to split the two teams, with just one point and one place separating them in the Serie A table.

Fiorentina have the advantage in fourth, but they were beaten 1-0 by Sassuolo last time out while fifth-placed Bologna were held to a 1-1 draw by Genoa and both will be looking to bounce back immediately.

Team News

Fiorentina wingers Nico Gonzalez and Riccardo Sottil will be absent on Tuesday night due to their respective thigh injuries, while Dodo and Gaetano Castrovilli remain long-term absentees.

Ivory Coast international Christian Kouame is away at the Africa Cup of Nations, but M'Bala Nzola turned down the chance to link up with Angola for that tournament and is in line to start.

Bologna's Lewis Ferguson, who missed the draw against Genoa due to suspension, is available again, but Jesper Karlsson, Adama Soumaoro and Dan Ndoye are all still in the treatment room.

Match Odds

Due to this being a cup tie, 90-minute betting applies.

Fiorentina's home advantage means they are 11/10 favourites for this encounter, while the draw is priced at 21/10. Bologna, who are winless in two, are 23/10 to triumph on the road.

Those that fancy a high-scoring game can back over 2.5 goals at 6/5, while both teams to score is available at 10/11.

Fiorentina's Lucas Beltran is the favourite to score anytime at 23/10.

Under 2.5 goals @ 8/13

There have been three goals between the two sides in each of the last three meetings, but Tuesday's match should be much closer.

Fiorentina reached last year's Coppa Italia final and will want to go one better this time around, and having home advantage will be massive for Vincenzo Italiano's team.

I Viola have won six in a row at home but their injury issues, especially the absence of star man Nico Gonzalez, have made things difficult for them of late. Fiorentina's last four games have all contained one goal, while there have been no more than two goals scored in any of their previous seven.

Bologna have proven to be tough to break down on the road, losing only two of their previous 10 away matches, and they will be trying to keep things tight, having failed to win their two games since Christmas Day.

Draw @ 21/10

Bologna have only won one of their previous 10 on their travels, but six draws during that run show they can be competitive on the road.

With Tuesday's game being a derby, neither side will want to give an inch to the opposition as it will mean so much to both clubs if they can triumph over their rivals and book a place in the semi-finals of the Coppa Italia in the process.

Bologna stunned Inter Milan in the last round to progress and this year's competition is their best chance to lift the trophy for the first time in 50 years.

With a low-scoring battle on the cards, we expect this tie to be a draw before the contest is settled in extra-time or possibly on penalties.

Check out the rest of our Football Betting Tips here.