We kick off the Serie A weekend with two games on Friday night, with Bologna hosting Spezia in the first of those.
Bologna Form GuideBologna have a quick turnaround here after playing on Monday night, when they were held by bottom club Cremonese to a 1-1 draw. It was a disappointing result but prior to that, they had picked up a good win over Udinese.
Against the better teams in the league, Bologna have struggled but when they've come up against those in mid table, or worse, they've managed to get points on the board and will be targeting this as a game they can win.
Spezia Form GuideSpezia are three places above the relegation zone, and have put themselves there thanks to a very good recent run. However, they were beaten last weekend by Roma, a 2-0 home defeat and it will be interesting to see how they bounce back from that.
Prior to that defeat, they'd gone unbeaten in their five Serie A games leading up to it, though three of those had been draws, coupled with two victories.
Latest Team NewsBologna continue to be hit by injuries and have a number of players out, including Marko Arnautovic, Kevin Bonifazi and Lorenzo De Silvestri.
Spezia will be hoping to recall top scorer M'bala Nzola this weekend, who missed the trip to Rome, and his return would certainly aid them in front of goal.
Match PredictionThis should be a tight game, but the advantage has to go to Bologna. Against the lower teams in Serie A, they have a good recent record, and despite their good recent form, Spezia are still down towards the bottom of the table. With a 2-0 defeat against Roma last weekend, Spezia will be looking to bounce back, but that may not come here.
A tight one, but Bologna are the pick to win it.
