Napoli - Bologna predictions and free betting tips [11/05/2024]

On the 11th of May, Saturday, within the framework of the 36th round of Italian Serie A, Napoli will be hosting Bologna on their home turf. While Rossoblu comes close to securing a place in the Champions League quintet, the host has just won one of their last eight matches, running the risk of finding themselves out of the European Cup zone.

Stadium

The duel will take place in Naples at the Diego Maradona Stadium.

Napoli

Disappointing their fans this season, Napoli has not managed to regain last year's form and now only takes eighth place in the Serie A standings, one point ahead of trailing Fiorentina. The Southerners will have to strive hard to clinify a ticket to the European Cups, considering they have played one more match than the Florentines. The Blue-Whites are currently in a dismal state, evidenced by the fact that they have won only once in the previous eight rounds, drawing five times and losing twice. After a fiasco from bottom-placed Empoli (1:0), Napoli shared points with Roma (2:2) and Udinese (1:1) last Monday.

Victor Osimhen put the Partenopei ahead shortly after halftime, but the Zebras equalised the scoreboard in the 92nd minute. Given the forthcoming duels with Bologna and Fiorentina, the hosts are in for a genuinely heated end of the season. Prominent to note, Napoli has been performing very poorly at home, taking only the 13th rostrum in the overall rankings by this statistic (a mere 24 points earned in 17 home clashes, bagging 24 goals, conceding 25). 

Bologna

Occupying 4th place in the Serie A standings and 4 points clear of sixth-placed Roma, Bologna is well poised to participate in the upcoming Champions League. This would be a genuine feat for a modest team from whom no one expected such success at the start of the season. However, in recent weeks, Rossoblu has been experiencing certain difficulties: they have drawn four times and only won once in the last five rounds. After a valuable victory over Roma (3:1), Thiago Motta's prodigies made peace with Udinese (1:1) and Torino (0:0) last weekend.

Moreover, since the start of February, the visitors have exited the pitch eight times without conceding a goal — only Arsenal has managed to do this more times in the top five European leagues. Bologna has outplayed their rivals in four of the last six away matches, but in terms of points gained away from home, it sits only in 7th place overall (24 points in 17 fixtures, 19 goals bagged, 18 conceded).

Head-to-Head

A 0:0 draw in the first round of the match in September broke the Blues' string of five consecutive victories in head-to-head meetings.

Vision for the Napoli vs Bologna match

Napoli has been performing poorly this season in the backing of their home stands, whereas Bologna is notorious for being a hard-to-beat unit both at home and away. Rossoblu might have slowed down in recent weeks, notwithstanding, they've known no defeat since the 9th of March. Given the tightness at the top of the leaderboard, it seems that a stalemate could be on the cards at the Diego Maradona stadium on Saturday night.

Goal Total Forecast

Bologna on the road this season allows only a goal per game, while the hosts are in crisis, struggling to convert opportunities into goals in front of the opponent's net. My bet is on Napoli's Individual Total Under 1.5 goals.

Prediction for Corners

As the host, Napoli is expected to be the dominant force and will have the initiative, while Bologna will opt for a counter-attacking style. My bet is on a Napoli win for corner kicks.

Yellow Cards Prediction

Both teams are in dire need of points, implying that we're set to witness some real field-hustle. In the first-leg match, 9 yellow cards were displayed, so we're confidently placing a bet on the Total Over 4.5 for warnings.

Scoreline Prediction

My pick is for a precise score of 0:0.