Bologna will be aiming to build on the credible draw at Friuli and edge closer to the top half of the standings when they take on Torino, a team that lost to Napoli in a cracking match last Saturday. With just one point separating the two sides in the Serie A table, there is a good chance we will see a very interesting encounter at Renato Dall’Ara.

Rock-solid defensive showing at Friuli

Bologna have been showing a considerable improvement following a very slow start to the season, and that has something to do with the team gelling properly after the numerous changes to the playing squad in the summer. As soon as seasoned Serie A players Diamanti and Gilardino developed a good understanding, with Gabbiadini and Kone also doing their bit, il Felsinei started climbing the Serie A standings and they escaped the danger zone in no time. Thanks to the impressive run of results, Stefano Pioli’s side now have a chance to fight for a top 10 finish and a win over Torino would certainly be a step in the right direction. With key midfielder Alessandro Diamanti missing, Bologna produced a solid defensive performance to avoid defeat away to Udinese, and they should revert to their attack-minded approach now that the Italy international returns. Having beaten Fiorentina and Cagliari before losing to leaders Juventus in last three home games, il Felsinei are tipped to return to winning ways against Torino.

Alessandro Diamanti returns from suspension, but Marco Motta is banned. Diego Perez, Cesare Natali and Nico Pulzetti miss out through injury.

Torino on the downtrend

Torino chiefs did well to boost their survival hopes with a heavy summer recruitment, as a result of which the newly-promoted side never looked like they could return to Serie B. Up until recently, I Granata played really well both home and away, but it appears they are now going through a very rough patch. Their top scorer Rolando Bianchi seems to have lost his scoring boots as well as the place in the starting line-up, while numerous injuries to key defender Angelo Ogbonna have severely weakened the back line. These are all the reasons why Torino have been largely struggling of late, with three straight defeats on the road and nine conceded goals giving them little reason for optimism before the clash in Bologna. On top of that, boss Giampiero Ventura is without three important members of the starting line-up, which is likely to be a problem given the lack of strength in depth. Hence, everything suggests team’s dismal run on the travels is set to continue.

Guillermo Rodriguez misses out through suspension, while Valter Birsa and Matteo Brighi are out injured. Angelo Ogbonna should return.

Verdict

Bologna are playing really well at the moment and the return of influential midfielder Alessandro Diamanti is likely to improve their chances of winning this match. Torino are simply awful on the travels and with three first team regulars missing, they don’t look they can get anything from Renato Dall’Ara.

Top pick: Bologna to score two or more   2.50 (3/2) @ Coral

Alternative pick 1: Home win   2.10 (11/10) @ Stan James

Alternative pick 2: Over 2.5 goals   2.30 (13/10) @ William Hill

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