Our prediction for this Serie A match:
Saturday’s football game at Stadio Renato Dall’Ara pits together Bologna and Lazio, the two top-table sides. Following back-to-back wins over Sampdoria and Inter, Bologna suffered a 1-0 loss to Torino in their last league match. The Rossoblu aim to get back on course as soon as possible, but they will have a big fish to fry against the in-form Biancocelesti. Fit-again forward Joshua Zirkzee is pushing for a start, whereas Nicola Bagnolini should be the only absentee in the home team.
The capital club, on the other hand, shocked league leaders Napoli at Stadio Diego Armando Maradona at the weekend, with the team extending their winning run to four matches. Lazio, though, were beaten by Bologna in each of their last two meetings at Stadio Renato Dall’Ara, which is probably the main reason why we are going to put our money on draw. With no fresh injury worries to report, Maurizio Sarri is unlikely to make too many changes to the team that defeated Napoli. Nicolo Casale, though, should return to the starting XI after serving his one-game ban at the weekend.
Highlighted Player (Marko Arnautovic):
An Austrian footballer born on 19 April 1986, Marko Arnautovic represented a number of Austrian top sides on youth level, but it was at Twente that his professional career began. The winger needed a while to nail down a regular starting berth, but he impressed in his first full season to score 12 Eredivisie goals and earn a lucrative move to Inter Milan.
The unprofessional behaviour seriously cut short his stay at Stadio Giuseppe Meazza, but the highly rated footballer was able to kick start his career at Werder Bremen. The successful spell in Bundesliga saw him secure a move to Stoke City, where he has played his best football up to date.
A powerful footballer capable of scoring from distance, Arnautovic is able to operate as a winger, centre forward or attacking midfielder, and he has also impressed playing for the Austria national team. The forward scored 3 goals in the qualifying campaign to help Das Team qualify for the Euro 2016 finals, taking his total goal tally past 10 strikes.
Highlighted Team (Lazio):
Lazio Roma are an Italian football club based in Rome. Lazio were founded in 1900 and they compete in the Serie A. The Biancocelesti (The White and Sky Blues) have won two Serie A trophies (1973/1974, 1999/2000), while lifting six Coppa Italia titles.
The capital club play their home games at Stadio Olimpico and Roma are regarded as Lazio’s main rivals.
The two teams face each other in the Derby della Capitale and it is considered the fiercest inter-city derby in Italy. Lazio won UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup in 1999, with the team beating Mallorca in the title game. The same year they managed to clinch the UEFA Super Cup trophy as they outplayed English giants Manchester United at Stade Louis II, Monaco.
The likes of Pavel Nedved, Giuseppe Favalli, Juan Sebastian Veron, Sinisa Mihajlovic, Roberto Mancini, Giuseppe Signori, Miroslav Klose and Simone Inzaghi are notable footballers who played for Lazio in the past.