Lazio vs Bologna Prediction and Football Tips – 22/08/15
Serie A football tips – Lazio vs Bologna prediction
Lazio secured a good 1-0 victory in the home leg of their Champions League play-off against Leverkusen in the week but it came at a cost. Miroslav Klose was taken off at half-time and key defender Stefan de Vrij was taken from the field on a stretcher in the second half, meaning neither are likely to feature here. Keita Balde could start up-front, with Filip Djordjevic also a doubt.
Bologna, promoted last season, have been busy in the transfer market. A number of new signings include Antonio Mirante, Mattia Destro, Matteo Brighi and Franco Brienza, all of whom come with good Serie A experience. The addition of Lorenzo Crisetig, on loan from Inter Milan is an exciting prospect in midfield.
Possible Line-ups
Lazio: 4-3-3 formation: Berisha; Basta, Mauricio, Gentiletti, Radu; Cataldi, Biglia, Parolo; Candreva, Keita, Anderson
Bologna: 4-4-2 formation: Mirante; Mbaye, Oikonomou, Rossettini, Masina; Pulgar, Crisetig, Brighi; Brienza; Acquafresca, Destro
- Lazio have won 3, drawn 1 and lost 6 of their last 10 matches
- Bologna have won 5, drawn 2 and lost 3 of their last 10 matches
- Over the course of their previous 10 matches, Lazio have scored an average of 1 goal and conceded an average of 1.6 goals per game
- Over the course of their previous 10 matches, Bologna have scored an average of 1.4 goals and conceded an average of 0.8 goals per game
- There have been over 2.5 goals scored in 5 of Lazio’s previous 10 matches
- There have been over 2.5 goals scored in 4 of Bologna’s previous 10 matches
- Lazio won this fixture 1-0 last time they met in Rome
Lazio will see this as a must win game, even though it’s only the opening fixture of the Serie A season. Dropped points against newly promoted opposition is not an option but with a couple of key players missing, plus the demands of mid-week, mean this could be more difficult than first imagined for Stefano Pioli.
Bologna manager, Delio Rossi, will want his team to perform much better than the last time they were in Serie A. It took Bologna 9 games before they managed to win a match and this will have to be avoided, if they are to prevent relegation this season. However, Rossi will see this is as a good opportunity to gain some early points and confidence, as Lazio have important Champions League business on their mind.
This could be a close game and Bologna may cause a surprise by taking a point away from Rome.