Bologna's Coppa Italia triumph guarantees a spot in the Europa League next season, which makes this final match against Genoa far less exciting. Both sides are free of pressure but this doesn't mean they won't show up and produce another goal-packed spectacle.
The Rossoblu's questionable form almost led to the team missing out on European football next season, but a stellar performance in the Coppa Italia final made up for all the difficult moments as of late. This triumph ended the club's 51-year trophy drought and we're sure their fans will not be angry even if the team ends outside the Top 6.
Bologna's winless streak in the top flight was extended to four matches when they lost 3-2 at Fiorentina last week, but they are a different animal when playing at home. Bologna have conceded a single defeat in 18 home matches this season. Only Juventus can boast the same success at home.
Genoa, in turn, have been in the trenches for a while. The team lost four of its last five Serie A games and is in 13th place. Winning or losing will not change their position. Much of that can be attributed to their horrendous winless run on the road. Il Grifone last won away from home in December 2024, accumulating five draws and five defeats since then.
How the bookies view it: Bologna to extend their home streak
Bookmakers expect Bologna to end the season on a new high, although nothing they do will match the feeling of winning a trophy. Anyhow, you can pick the hosts at 1/2, the draw at 7/2, or Genoa to win at 5/1.
Recent head to head: Not a good look for the hosts
Curiously, despite Bologna improvement over the last couple of years, they haven't found any success in the H2Hs with Genoa. In fact, their bad record against the Griffin goes back a long time and Bologna have won just one of the last 10 H2Hs. The reverse fixture this season produced a thrilling 2-2, although Bologna dominated possession for most of the 90 minutes.
Players to watch: Orsolini to give fans what they want
Bologna's Riccardo Orsolini is already a modern-era legend of the club and he is only getting better. He passed 10 season goals for the third consecutive campaign and is the team's top goalscorer with 16 goals. While he has his bad days too, he was involved in both goals against Fiorentina last week. His last home goal was over a month ago, and what better time to change that than the final home match of the season, especially since he scored against Genoa in the reverse fixture as well.
Probable line-ups
Bologna: Skorupski, Lykogiannis, Lucumi, Beukema, Holm, Ndoye, Fabbian, Orsolini, Freuler, Ferguson, Castro
Genoa: Siegrist, Sabelli, De Winter, Martin, Otoa, Thorsby, Masini, Norton-Cuffy, Frendrup, Vitinha, Pinamonti
Anything else catch the eye?
Bologna were dominating this rivalry back in the day, but have had few reasons to celebrate in the last few years. In fact, they haven't won at home in five consecutive attempts. But seeing their home performance this season makes us believe they have one more stellar performance in them.
Bologna beat teams like Lazio, Inter Milan, Milan, and Borussia Dortmund in the last few months, and had draws with Juventus and Napoli. Meanwhile, Genoa have not won away from home in almost six months, and we don't even imagine a draw. Bologna don't need to finish in the Top 6 after securing a place in the Europa League but finishing higher will bring more money into the club. With this in mind, we will back the hosts and also give the goal markets a shot too.
GambleAware