Our prediction for this Serie A match:
Juventus will be aiming to stay in the Champions League berth when they face Bologna at Stadio Renato Dall’Ara on Sunday evening. The Bianconeri are on a three-game losing run in the Italian top flight, but the bookies still see them as favourites to beat the Rossoblu on the road. Both Angel Di Maria and Federico Chiesa should be recalled to the starting XI, while Moise Kean remains in the recovery room. Dusan Vlahovic is pushing for a start after coming as a substitute in a 1-0 loss to Napoli at the weekend.
Bologna, on the other hand, are ten points behind the Conference League berth, meaning that they have little to play for in the season finale. Considering that the Bianconeri want this win more than the Rossoblu, we are tempted to put our money on Max Allegri’s troops. As for the home side, Roberto Soriano misses out with a ligament injury, while Marko Arnautovic faces race against the clock to be fit for the match.
Highlighted Player (Gary Medel):
Gary Medel is a versatile defensive midfielder who currently plays for Inter Milan in Serie A. The Chilean professional is well-known for this work-rate and untiring approach along with his aggressive, physically demanding and hard-tackling style of play. It is these qualities that earned him the sobriquet of “Chilean Pitbull”.
Medel started his professional career with Universidad Catolica as a youth player before moving to Boca Juniors. He followed it up with a stint in La Liga with Sevilla. Medel was also a key member with Cardiff City, which was his next destination. The relegation of Cardiff meant that Medel moved to Inter Milan. A full international with over 80 caps for Chile, Medel has represented his nation at two FIFA World Cups and an equal number of Copa America tournaments.
He was a key member of Chilean team that won the 2015 Copa America and was subsequently named in the ‘Team of the tournament’.
Highlighted Team (Juventus):
Juventus are considered one of the greatest European football clubs. The Bianconeri (The White and Blacks) have won two Champions League trophies (1985, 1996) and they did well to clinch three UEFA Cup titles (1977, 1990, 1993). The Italian giants have won 32 Serie A trophies and it is well known that a number of star players were part of Juve in the past.
The likes of Alessandro Del Piero, Zinedine Zidane, Michel Platini, Lilian Thuram, Filippo Inzaghi, Pavel Nedved and David Trezeguet all played for Juventus, whilst legendary goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon has yet to retire. Juve were stripped two domestic trophies during the “Calciopoli” scandal, but despite being relegated to Serie B, the club quickly brought glory days back to Turin. The Bianconeri used to play their home games at Stadio delle Alpi, but nowadays they welcome their rivals at Juventus Stadium.
The capacity of the stadium is 41,475. La Vechhia Signora (The Old Lady) is yet another nickname of the club. Juve’s biggest rivals are Torino and the two local rivals take on each other in the Turin derby.