Serie A Preview: Siena - Bologna

Siena and Bologna clash this weekend in Matchday 12 of Serie A, at the Artemio Franchi stadium in Tuscany, with the two teams aiming for the three points without overexposing themselves too much.

In what promises to be a quiet encounter, the Bianconeri will want to continue on their positive run at home, as they have yet to suffer a defeat in front of their own fans this season, having won three games and drawn two.

On the other hand, the Rossoblu will be hoping that the arrival of Sinisa Mihajlovic on the bench will continue to spur the team forward following last weekend’s prestigious 1-1 draw against Roma in his debut.

The Felsinei have been quite disappointing away from home as they only achieved one win whilst losing the remaining four games. In fact, Mihajlovic will most likely field a jam-packed midfield, in order to stop Siena from playing, and then rely on quick counter attacks with Di Vaio leading the line.

Coach Marco Giampaolo will be hoping that Kharja is in top form; he has the creativity to open up the Bologna defence in what could otherwise end up in a drab goalless draw.

Siena's attack is quite weak, with just eight goals scored in 11 Serie A matches, but they compensate this with a solid defensive line which has only conceded 11 goals - one of the best records in the Italian top-flight.

However, the visitors are not much better, as they have scored one more goal than their opponents but suffered 20 goals in total.

Past Encounters

Not too many encounters have been played in recent history between these two teams at the Artemio Franchi stadium, with the most recent one dating back to 2004 in a Serie A game which ended 1-1.

Before that, back in 2003, the clash ended in a goalless draw, as the matches between these two sides have always proven to be very balanced affairs.


FORM GUIDE

Catania

Nov 09 Lazio 3-0 Siena (SERIE A)
Nov 02 Siena 1-0 Fiorentina (SERIE A)
Oct 29 Milan 2-1 Siena (SERIE A)
Oct 25 Siena 1-1 Catania (SERIE A)
Oct 19 Genoa 1-0 Siena (SERIE A)

Bologna

Nov 08 Bologna 1-1 Roma (SERIE A)
Nov 02 Cagliari 5-1 Bologna (SERIE A)
Oct 29 Bologna 1-2 Juventus (SERIE A)
Oct 26 Sampdoria 2-0 Bologna (SERIE A)
Oct 19 Bologna 3-1 Lazio (SERIE A)


TEAM NEWS

Siena

A long list of injured players for Giampaolo, as Eleftheropoulos, Belmonte, Ficagna, Packer and Larrondo are all unavailable for this game. Rossettini is suspended, whereas Galloppa is carrying a yellow card into this match.

Probable Formation (4-3-1-2): Curci, Zuniga, Moti, Portanova, Del Grosso, Vergassola, Codrea, Galloppa, Kharja, Frick, Maccarone

Bologna

No player is suspended, but Amoroso, Mingazzini, Lavecchia and Bombardini will all miss this encounter due to injuries.

Probable Formation (4-5-1): Antonioli, Zenoni, Terzi, Moras, Lanna, Adailton, Marchini, Volpi, Mudingayi, Valiani, Di Vaio


PLAYERS TO WATCH

Siena

Houssine Kharja has proven to be the brains behind the Bianconeri as he provided the assists and even the goals for his side's good start to the season. The 26-year-old midfielder is in fact the top scorer of the Tuscan side, with two goals, but has also provided some very solid performances throughout this campaign.

Bologna

Marco Di Vaio might not be the most consistent player in Serie A, but he has definitely proven to be a vital element for the Rossoblu as he scored five goals so far, helping them climb up from the bottom position. His goals are very important for his team, as only three other players managed to find the net so far.


PREDICTION

Siena start as favourites, but don't expect a goal fest from this game as you will remain disappointed, since this is an encounter between two of the least goalscoring forward-lines in the entire Serie A. The home side should be able to snatch the three points thanks to a single goal.

Siena 1 - 0 Bologna

Glenn Debattista