Soccer Italy Serie A Prediction

Cremonese vs Bologna - Match Preview

⚽ 20 May 2023 - 13:00 GMT +0

Time is almost up for Cremonese, who will know that defeat here against Bologna could spell the end of the road in their battle to beat the Serie A (SA) drop. Six points adrift of safety with just three games left to play, defeat here coupled with Spezia and Verona both picking up points this weekend will confirm their relegation to Serie B, whilst H2H permutations could come into play if they can keep their season alive.

A 2-0 defeat against Juventus on Sunday brought Cremonese firmly back down to earth after a preceding four-match unbeaten run (W1, D3) that offered a glimmer of hope. Whilst survival remains a theoretical possibility, it will in practicality require Cremonese to beat Bologna, something they have done just once in their history (W1, D4, L4).

Bologna have no such relegation worries, though their season has recently paled out into mid-table insignificance with the European places now mathematically out of reach. They find themselves in a logjam of sides bidding to finish in the eighth spot, but with no victory in their last six SA outings (D4, L2), Bologna has fallen out of form at the most inopportune time. Manager Thiago Motta was nonetheless “satisfied” about last round’s 0-0 draw at home to Roma, a game that Motta claimed his team “dominated” and “controlled”.

Though Bologna isn’t playing for prizes, they should be buoyed by the possibility of finishing their campaign as high as eighth, which would be their highest SA finish since ending the 2001/02 season in seventh. Things don’t appear likely to improve on the road, as besides beating basement boys Sampdoria, Bologna has failed to win any of their other SA away games against sides starting in the 13th round or lower (D3, L2), conceding at least twice in four of those.

📋 Players to watch: Often a fast starter, Cremonese’s David Okereke has seen three of his last five goals arrive before the 15th minute. Seemingly preferring to strike later, four of Bologna’s Riccardo Orsolini’s last five goals have come beyond the 75th minute.

⚡ Hot stat: All but three of the last 12 SA matches involving either side produced fewer than 2.5 total goals, as did the reverse H2H.