Two European hopefuls will go head-to-head as Napoli face Bologna in Serie A this weekend.
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Napoli vs Bologna odds
Find the latest match odds for Napoli vs Bologna. All odds are provided by our best-reviewed football betting sites. Odds are subject to change.
⚡Quick Napoli vs Bologna betting tips
Napoli vs Bologna predictions
Bologna are almost there. Two wins in their final three matches of the Serie A season would bring Champions League football to the Stadio Renato Dall’Ara for the first time since 1965, when they did not make it past the preliminary round.
Six points would guarantee Bologna that all-important top-five finish, but they might not even need that. Atalanta and Roma are both four points behind Thiago Motta’s men and cannot afford many more slip-ups.
Needless to say, qualifying for Europe’s premier tournament would be an extraordinary achievement.
In the middle of October last year, a few weeks into Thiago Motta’s tenure as Bologna boss, they lost 3-2 to Napoli. That result left the club from Emilia-Romagna on the brink of entering the relegation zone.
It has been quite the ride since then. Bologna rallied to finish ninth last term and they are already guaranteed to improve upon that achievement this time around.
A simple top-half finish was the aim at the beginning of the campaign, but Bologna have exceeded all expectations. Only one of their last 15 Serie A games has ended in defeat, leaving Thiago Motta’s team just a couple of points behind Juventus in third.
This could yet end up being the club’s highest league finish since their last top-three finish way back in 1967.
With his fine work this season, Thiago Motta has marked himself out as one of the most promising young coaches on the continent.
An innovative thinker, his team have impressed with their flexibility, intensity and technical quality. Bologna, one of the youngest teams in Serie A on average, are progressive with the ball and aggressive without it.
Napoli will be out to stop them this weekend, but that is not as easy as it sounds. Currently, in the sole Europa Conference League qualification berth, their hopes of reaching the Europa League spots are slim.
Napoli vs Bologna betting tips
Napoli and Bologna will go head-to-head this weekend in what should be a fantastic Serie A match.
Bologna or draw – 4/5 (bet365)
Many wondered whether Bologna’s relative inexperience would ultimately count against them in the run-in, but we have seen few signs of that yet.
Thiago Motta’s team are proving hard to beat, with champions Inter the only side to have emerged triumphant over them since mid-January.
Yet Bologna are struggling in one regard: they have found it tough to turn draws into wins of late. Four of their last five encounters have finished with level scores, a run which has kept Atalanta and Roma in with a chance of overhauling them.
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In isolation, another draw against Napoli would not be a bad result. Three of the Partenopei’s last four games were tied, while they have gone four home matches without a win.
Francesco Calzona initially steadied the ship after replacing Walter Mazzarri in February, but Napoli have not exactly set the world alight in recent weeks.
Napoli may be a bigger club than Bologna, but they are not a better team than them in 2023/24.
⚽ Tip a Bologna win or a draw at 4/5 with bet365 ⚽
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Under 2.5 goals – 10/11 (bet365)
Thiago Motta will be slightly concerned that the goals have dried up for Bologna in their last few outings.
Three of their last five games have ended 0-0, while Bologna have scored only eight times in their last eight.
Only their upcoming opponents Napoli average more possession than the Rossoblu, but Bologna sometimes struggle to turn control of the ball into clear-cut opportunities.
For example, they rank only eighth for expected goals – a measure of chance quality – in Serie A and eighth for shots per game.
Napoli rank higher in both areas, yet in only two of their last eight league matches have they scored more than one goal.
All things considered, this could be a low-scoring encounter at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona.
⚽ Go for under 2.5 goals at 10/11 with bet365 ⚽
Alexis Saelemaekers to score any time – 7/1 (BetMGM)
Both Riccardo Orsolini and Joshua Zirkzee have got into double figures for goals this season, but we are focusing on another Bologna player in this market.
The odds available suggest this is a punt and Alexis Saelemaekers would acknowledge that himself, but the AC Milan loanee has been in fine form in front of goal of late.
Since the beginning of April, Bologna have put the ball in the back of the net on seven occasions. Saelemaekers has been responsible for three of those goals.
After being in and out of the team in the first half of the campaign, the Belgium international has now nailed down a place in the XI. He will be full of confidence ahead of a duel with a Napoli team that has gone 14 league games without a clean sheet.
A right-footed wide man who cuts inside from the left, Saelemaekers has been getting into scoring positions with more and more regularity of late.
He has been Bologna’s chief goal-getter over the past few weeks and that could be the case again here.
⚽ Tip Alexis Saelemaekers to score any time at 7/1 with BetMGM ⚽
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📺 How to watch Napoli vs Bologna
- Location: Stadio Diego Armando Maradona, Naples, Italy.
- Date and time: Saturday 11th May, 5pm.
- How to watch: TNT Sports 3.
About the author
Greg Lea
Greg Lea is a freelance football writer from London. He predominantly covers the Premier League and has had work published by the Guardian, FourFourTwo, ESPN and others.
Follow Greg on X: @GregLeaFootball
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