After another loss in midweek left them stuck in the Serie A drop zone, Genoa welcome draw specialists Bologna to Marassi on Saturday evening.
Sinisa Mihajlovic's struggling visitors were denied a first win since November on Wednesday, as they conceded a devastating injury-time equaliser against Udinese.
Match preview
© Reuters
Under returning manager Davide Ballardini - back for a fourth spell at the club - Genoa had picked up four points from encounters with Spezia and Lazio either side of the winter break, before again tasting defeat at Sassuolo this week.
Despite Ballardini's apparent appeals to the club hierarchy, ostracised midfielder Lasse Schone reportedly terminated his contract with Genoa on Wednesday. The Grifone had left the former Ajax schemer out of their squad this season after playing an integral role in their survival last term.
With the 34-year-old Denmark international's future therefore elsewhere, Ballardini must now look for reinforcements to rejuvenate his patchy squad in the current transfer window.
At least the experienced coach can turn to Uzbekistan international Eldor Shomurodov as a source of goals, after the often-injured forward confirmed his recent return to form and fitness with the equalising goal versus Sassuolo.
Substitute striker Mattia Destro, who previously played for Bologna, has also netted five Serie A strikes this season - including four of the Grifone's last six in the top flight.
It was their all-too-familiar defensive deficiencies which allowed Jeremie Boga time and space to score one and make one for Sassuolo in their most recent defeat, as Genoa conceded for their 13th successive Serie A match - leaving them 19th in the standings.
© Reuters
A fifth consecutive league draw for Bologna came in frustrating circumstances against previous opponents Udinese, as conceding Tolgay Arslan's avoidable late goal meant they were held 2-2 by a fellow mid-table side.
It was an eventful afternoon for the Rossoblu's Swedish midfielder Mattias Svanberg, who followed up a rare goal with his second booking to get his marching orders in the 47th minute.
Bologna coach Mihajlovic spoke afterwards of his disapproval that his men are the 'most-booked team in Europe' - particularly coming after last season, in which they picked up over 90 yellow cards in the league.
Discipline and defensive resilience will surely need to improve at the Emilian club if they are to move closer to their aim of a top-half position and avoid being pulled into a battle to avoid relegation.
Though a spate of injuries and illneses are mitigating factors for Mihajlovic, the former Inter Milan and Lazio star will be deeply concerned about a record of just five points from seven games throughout December and January.
With difficult fixtures against Verona, Juventus and AC Milan next up, Bologna must endeavour to take maximum points back home on Saturday against supposedly inferior opposition.
Genoa Serie A form: LDLWDL
Bologna Serie A form: LDDDDD
Team News
© Reuters
Midfielder Nicolas Dominguez returns from suspension for Bologna, with Svanberg missing from the engine room due to his midweek dismissal.
Mihajlovic also has Lorenzo De Silvestri, Gary Medel, goalkeeper Lukasz Skorupski and Nicola Sansone unavailable through injury, but Aaron Hickey has returned after COVID-19 infection. However, Hickey's fellow full-back Ibrahima Mbaye again misses out with a thigh strain.
Musa Barrow, Riccardo Orsolini and Roberto Soriano should start in support ex-Genoa veteran Rodrigo Palacio up front.
The home side are without numerous squad members, as has been common throughout the campaign. Davide Biraschi, Francesco Cassata, Federico Marchetti, Goran Pandev and Cristian Zapata are all out injured, with Edoardo Goldaniga suspended.
There will be a tough choice for Genoa coach Ballardini to make between Gianluca Scamacca and Destro to partner Shomurodov up front in a 3-5-2.
Genoa possible starting lineup:
Perin; Masiello, Radovanovic, Criscito; Zappacosta, Lerager, Badelj, Zajc, Czyborra; Destro, Shomurodov
Bologna possible starting lineup:
Da Costa; Tomiyasu, Paz, Danilo, Hickey; Schouten, Dominguez; Orsolini, Soriano, Barrow; Palacio
We say: Genoa 1-2 Bologna
Genoa have shown signs of life since the return of Davide Ballardini last month, but defensive frailties continue to bedevil them and the Grifone's list of absences seemingly never shortens.
Determined to break a remarkable sequence of draws, Bologna could finally claim all three points in Liguria - if forwards Musa Barrow and Rodrigo Palacio can finally step up to the plate.
Top betting tip
Data Analysis
Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Bologna win with a probability of 49.7%. A win for Genoa had a probability of 25.53% and a draw had a probability of 24.8%.
The most likely scoreline for a Bologna win was 0-1 with a probability of 10.84%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 1-2 (9.51%) and 0-2 (8.76%). The likeliest Genoa win was 1-0 (7.28%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (11.77%). The actual scoreline of 2-0 was predicted with a 4% likelihood.
