Bologna welcome Empoli to the Stadio Renato Dall'Ara for the semi-final second leg of the Coppa Italia. The hosts hold a 3-0 advantage from the first clash and are expected to finish the job on Thursday night.
Bologna head into this matchup in high spirits following a 1-0 home league win against Inter Milan. That result means Vincenzo Italiano’s men are now unbeaten in eight of the last nine matches in all competitions, picking up seven wins in that run.
A solid defence has been at the heart of Bologna’s Coppa Italia campaign as they have kept clean sheets in all three matches so far. They have also won the first half in two of their three matches in the competition.
Empoli come into this game off the back of a 2-2 home league draw against Venezia. That result means they are yet to secure a regulation time win in their last 20 matches, suffering 13 defeats in that run.
Roberto D'Aversa's men have had attacking problems lately, failing to score in three of their last four matches. They have also struggled on their travels and are winless in nine of their last nine away matches in all competitions, losing six times in that run.
How the bookies view it: Bologna overwhelming favourites
The bookies have installed Bologna as overwhelming favourites, with a home win priced at 4/9. An unlikely victory for Empoli is valued at 6/1 while a draw is set at odds of 3/1 by BoyleSports.
Head to head: Both team at par
Bologna and Empoli have seven wins each and nine draws with 23 previous matches. However, the hosts are unbeaten in the last five meetings, claiming three wins in that run, including the 3-0 victory in the Coppa Italia semi-final first leg.
Players to watch: In-form Orsolini
Riccardo Orsolini is the leading scorer for Bologna with 14 goals in all competitions and will be the one to watch. The forward was also on target in the first leg and is priced at 13/8 by BoyleSports.
Sam Beukema has been at the heart of a Bologna defence that has kept four clean sheets in the last six games in all competitions. He was also at the back in the reverse fixture and could help them secure another clean sheet at 4/5 with Boylesports.
Probable line-ups
Bologna will be without Lewis Ferguson, Davide Calabria and first-choice goalkeeper Lukasz Skorupski due to injury. However, in the absence of Skorupski, Federico Ravaglia should start in goal while Orsolini and Santiago Castro are expected to start up front.
Youssef Maleh, Christian Kouame, Szymon Zurkowski, Nicolas Haas, Saba Sazonov and Pietro Pellegri are all unavailable for Empoli due to several knocks. However, Luca Marianucci, Lorenzo Tosto and Liam Henderson are all expected to start.
Bologna: Ravaglia, De Silvestri, Beukema, Lucumi, Lykogiannis, Moro, Pobega, Orsolini, Fabbian, Cambiaghi, Castro
Empoli: Seghetti, De Sciglio, Marianucci, Tosto; Gyasi, Henderson, Kovalenko, Pezzella, Solbakken, Fazzini, Colombo
Anything else catch the eye?
Bologna have won to nil in their last three Coppa Italia matches and a similar outcome is expected at 11/10 with BoyleSports. They have also won the first half in two of their last three matches in the competition and a repeat is valued at evens.
Bologna have scored in both halves in two of their three Coppa Italia matches and a similar outcome is priced at 6/4 with BoyleSports.
This Coppa Italia match between Bologna and Empoli will be played on and kick off at 20:00. Check below for our tipsters best Bologna vs Empoli prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
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