Liverpool vs Bologna: Preview & Prediction | OneFootball

Written by Aaron Conlan

Liverpool come into the match on the back of four straight wins with only one loss in seventeen. The Reds will be looking to continue their winning streak in the return campaign to the Champions League, especially with big fixtures like Leverkusen and Real Madrid coming up for Arne Slot’s side. Bologna have only lost once so far this season, on the road to Napoli, and have drawn 6 times already. Bologna lost big players such as Zirkzee and Calafiori in the summer to premier league outfits Man Utd and Arsenal, and have struggled to pick up winning form so far with only one win this season coming away against Monza who sit second from bottom in Serie A.

This campaign is Bologna’s first in the Champions League, and following this weekend’s draw, Italiano admitted “We know there are mistakes we made today that we cannot afford to make again, as Liverpool’s strikers are so efficient and we’ll be in a remarkable atmosphere of Anfield”

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The match will also be Arne Slot’s first experience of a European night at Anfield and whilst speaking to UEFA.com he said: “There are [clubs] where you need to do a lot of good things before they start to support you, but here the stadium is on fire from the first second like it was at Feyenoord as well.” “I know how special a home game at Feyenoord was, but the home games in Europe were even more special. So, because people told me it’s the same here at Liverpool, I expect a lot when we play the first game against [Bologna].” “I’m definitely looking forward to my first experience of European nights, a European evening.”

Coming into the game, the Reds are relatively injury-free with only Harvey Elliot, following an ankle injury, and possibly Darwin Nunez, due to illness, seeming the only players to miss Wednesday’s fixture. Following a poor performance, albeit coming away with 3 points, against Wolves at the weekend, Slot will be hoping an emphatic European win at Anfield will set the tone right for upcoming fixtures.

SERIE A EXPERT PREVIEWS LIVERPOOL VS BOLOGNA

Predicted lineup:

XI: Alisson, Trent Alexander Arnold, Jarell Quansah, Virgil Van Dijk, Kostas Tsimiskas, Ryan Gravenberch, Alexis MacAllister, Curtis Jones, Mo Salah, Darwin Nunez, Cody Gakpo.

With Liverpool’s fixture list starting to get more and more busy it shouldn’t be too much of a surprise if Arne Slot opts for more rotation mid-week than he has so far this season. A clash against Bologna who lie mid-table in Serie A may provide the perfect opportunity for players such as Curtis Jones, Cody Gakpo and Darwin Nunez to have a say as to why they deserve a starting place whilst also allowing some players to rest.

Prediction

Liverpool 3-0 Bologna