Juventus hosts Bologna at their Allianz Stadium in Round 8 of the Italian Serie A on October 19, 2019.
Juventus
Juventus has taken the Serie A driver’s seat after a brilliant 2-1 win over Internazionale in the Derby D’Italia on Sunday. The win ended Inter’s unbeaten start to the 2019 Serie A season and put Juve ahead by two points in the Italian Serie A ladder with a total of 18 points on the current term.
There was plenty of fight from Antonio Conte’s men but Maurizio Sarri’s 2nd half changes proved to be the difference makers for Juve as it was Rodrigo Bentacur who assisted Gonzalo Higuain’s late game-winning goal that sent Juventus to the top of the Italian Serie A team standings. Inter controlled 51% of the possession time but it was Juve who had 8 more shots including two more shots on goal.
Juventus ranks 3rd in Goal Difference at +6 goals on the season. They are tied for 4th in the Serie A with a total of 11 goals scored this term and Juve has conceded only five goals this season, 3rd best in the league. They are ranked 8th in passing with a total of six assists in six matches played.
Superstar forward Cristiano Ronaldo leads Juventus with three goals scored plus one assist in six matches played. Miralem Pjanic has two goals in seven matches while Gonzalo Higuain has two goals in five appearances. Douglas Costa leads Juve with two assists while Paulo Dybala has one assist and one goal.
Bologna F.C.
Bologna FC was established in 1909 and they were among the founding members of the Italian Serie A in 1929. They are the 6th most successful Italian team with a total seven Serie A titles won. Bologna has played in a total of 72 Serie A seasons, including the last five. They finished 10th in the league last season.
The Rossoblu head to this match against Juventus as huge soccer betting underdogs. They are coming off a 0-1 loss to Udinese in their most recent Italian league match. It was a sorry loss for Bologna who controlled 61% of the possession time but could only get three shots on goal, the same number as Udinese, who converted on one. Bologna has not won in their last three matches.
Bologna is ranked 10th in Goal Difference this season. They have scored a total of seven goals this term, tied for 13th in the league. The Rossoblu have conceded seven goals this season, which ranks them in 7th spot in the Italian league. Bologna is tied for 14th place with a total of four assists on the season.
Nicola Sansone leads Bologna with two goals and one assist in six appearances. Forwards Riccardo Orsolini and Rodrigo Palacio each have one goal. Orsolini leads the club with two assists while Palacio has one assist as well. Goalkeeper Lukasz Skorupski has conceded seven goals with 10 saves on the season.
Who Wins?
As it stands, Juventus is now the only unbeaten team in the Serie A following their Derby D’Italia win over Internazionale. Juve has a record of 6-2-1 SU on the season and they are coming off big wins. Prior to taking away Inter’s “O” this weekend, Juventus defeated Bayer Leverkusen 3-0 in the Champions League. Sarri’s boys have won five consecutive matches across all competitions.
Bologna is 2-2-2 SU on the season and is ranked 13th in the current Italian Serie A standings. Bologna won back to back matches against SPAL and Werder Bremen but is since 0-1-2 SU in their last three assignments. They have scored just one goal in their last three matches played.
Head to head, Juventus has won 27 out of their last 36 matches played. Bologna has won just one match during that period while these teams played to a tie in 8 other matches. Juventus has won seven out of the last eight meetings, holding Bologna to just a total of two goals in those 8 matches with six shutouts.
I think this is a David vs Goliath showdown. Not only is Juventus is terrific form, they have dominated Bologna in their head to head matchup. The odds are lopsided and I think the match will be as well. I’m picking Juventus to walk away with a win here. Prediction: Juventus