Italiano: Bologna will ‘give everything’ to beat Monaco, why I kept Orsolini out | OneFootball

Bologna coach Vincenzo Italiano claimed his side are ready to ‘give everything’ to get their first Champions League win against Monaco, as they host the Ligue 1 outfit at home.

Follow the action as it happens on our Liveblog.

The Rossoblu have only picked up one point from their first three European outings, and after two consecutive away defeats to Liverpool and Aston Villa, their managed hopes to give ‘a joy’ to the home crowd of a packed Stadio Dall’Ara.

Bologna will hope to build on their recent two consecutive Serie A wins but need to be wary of a Monaco side that, despite coming off two domestic defeats in a row, have picked up seven points from their three opening Champions League fixtures, with a 2-1 win over Barcelona on their debut particularly striking everyone eyes.

Italiano: Bologna can ‘do well’ against Monaco

“I hope to give this city a first joy in this competition,” Italiano told Sky Sport Italia before the match.

“I sense that everyone wants to achieve this goal and today we’ll give everything to make our fans happy.

“All together, we must try to overcome tiredness and every obstacle. Today it’ll be a tough match, we face a very strong team physically, with speed and rhythm.

“If we hold on, I think we can do well.”

BIRMINGHAM, ENGLAND – OCTOBER 22: Riccardo Orsolini of Bologna and Ian Maatsen of Aston Villa compete for the ball during the UEFA Champions League 2024/25 League Phase MD3 match between Aston Villa FC and Bologna FC 1909 at Villa Park on October 22, 2024 in Birmingham, England. (Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images)

Despite scoring in each of his last three Serie A games, Riccardo Orsolini was dropped in favour of the likes of Iling-Junior, Fabbian and N’Doye, who’ll make the trio behind striker Santiago Castro, and Italiano explained the tactical reasons behind his choice.

“Iling-Junior’s freshness and the fact that N’Doye has often played both as an offensive and defensive winger [convinced me],” the manager added.

“Also, [I decided to rely on] the physical strength of Fabbian – I liked his display at Aston Villa, he did well and he could’ve scored, so today we’ll use him again near Castro.

“We hope we can recover the ball in the opposite half and attack Monaco’s defensive line.”