Clash between mid-table dwellers Bologna and last-placed Verona will drop the curtain on the 31^st round of the Italian championship and it will be a late chance for both teams to record a win after a poor run of results.

Bologna’s poor patch

It has been a pretty exciting season for Bologna fans so far. I Rossoblu haven’t had the best of a beginning, but the arrival of Roberto Donadoni in October turned the tables around. Bologna were 18^th in the standings with just six points on their tally, but have since them went on to collect 30 points from 20 Serie fixtures under Donadoni and get away from danger. I Rossoblu are currently sitting in comfortable tenth place, eight points clear of relegation struggle and it appears that the team has dropped their guard a bit in recent weeks. Without a win in their last five Serie A matches, Bologna are coming off from back-to-back defeats to Inter and Atalanta, respectively and Roberto Donadoni’s men will have to fight complacency in order to get back to the right track. Players might have been distracted by rumours that their manager will be taking over from Antonio Conte as Italy boss after the Euro 2016, but the club’s officials are convinced that Roberto Donadoni will stay at the club next year.

Hosts will have almost full crop of players at disposal, with the exception of the team’s top scored Matia Destro. The 25-year-old forward has fractured his finger and is not expected to make his return until middle of April.

Verona going down

Hellas Verona are sitting in the gutter with just 19 points to their name after 30 Serie A matches. Mastini are having a terrible season as they are nine points away from safety and in terrible form, unworthy of the top notch competition. Even Verona’s players are acknowledging the fact that their team has been the worst in the league with the experienced forward Luca Toni claiming that Verona don’t deserve to be in Serie A, branding them “a joke”. Even Verona’s coach Luigi Delneri has all but accepted the sorry faith of his side saying that there has to be a reason why his team is at the very bottom. Mastini have managed just two Serie A wins this entire time and those triumphs came in February 2016 when Verona first beat Atalanta 2-1, before dispatching Chievo 3-1 only two weeks later. However, Verona quickly got back to their old ways and have won just one point in their last five matches thanks to a 1-1 draw against Fiorentina. With eight rounds to go in the competition, Hellas Verona will be hoping for a miracle and a divine intervention in order to avoid relegation.

Juanito Gomez is having back problems and will be forced to sit through the match, while midfielder Romulo is experiencing some muscle fatigue and he will also be unavailable for selection.

Verdict

Bologna have had their ups and downs this season, but Roberto Donadoni has managed to steady the ship and the team will be eager to get back to winning ways following the international break. Verona are in terrible form and I expect them to go down against the Rossoblu.

Top pick: Home win   1.9 (9/10) @BetFred

Alternative pick 1: Bologna/Bologna   3.12 (85/40) @BetVictor

Alternative pick 2: Both teams to score – No   1.91 (10/11) @PaddyPower