Serie A Preview: Napoli - Bologna

Following a highly impressive start to the season, which saw them quickly claim the fourth place in the table and maintain it too, Napoli have started to fall apart. Edy Reja’s side have looked a shadow of their former selves since losing the fourth place to Fiorentina just before the Christmas break with a defeat at Torino.

Poor away form had been the team’s only real Achilles’ heel, but lately they have started to struggle at home as well. Reja has attributed this poor recent form on a lack of maturity on his players’ part, and indeed the Partenopei have one of the youngest squads in Serie A. In 2009 they have picked up a mere four points in six games; not exactly the kind of form you’d expect from a team who want to challenge for a Champions League spot, which is now a massive seven points away for Napoli.

With teams like Fiorentina, Roma, and Genoa hitting peak form lately, it is looking increasingly difficult for Napoli to finish fourth. Of course, when the team were in that coveted position, the players and coach did not deny they were hoping to gain access to the Champions League, but lately Reja and some of the managing staff have admitted that a UEFA Cup is the most realistic objective for the club.

Considering that only three seasons ago they were playing in Serie C1, Italy’s third division, perhaps it is too much to ask for Napoli to do more than they are doing now. Still, anything less than a UEFA Cup spot would probably make this season a disappointment, especially considering how well they started. Against Bologna, as Reja admitted last week following the defeat to Palermo, a victory would be vital to boost their confidence and to allow them to start climbing up the table again.

The Azzurri have failed to win a match since the first matchday of the new year, when they beat Catania 1-0 at the San Paolo stadium, courtesy of a late goal from Christian Maggio. Against Bologna, Napoli obtained one of their two away victories this season, winning 1-0 thanks to a goal in the 87th minute by German Denis in late September.

Although his side are still far from safe from relegation, Sinisa Mihajlovic has reasons to be satisfied with his first few months as a head coach. Since joining Bologna, the former Inter assistant coach has managed to take a heavily struggling team from the bottom of Serie A into a much more comfortable position, and only recently suffered his first defeat, in the home match against Milan.

The Rossoblu have become a much more solid outfit since the Serbian stepped in for Daniele Arrigoni in early November, and with Marco Di Vaio they are also lucky enough have the current Serie A top scorer in their ranks. Nevertheless, they remain just three points above the relegation zone in spite of the 32-year-old striker’s goals, which shows they are certainly lacking in some other areas.

Bologna are one of the very few relegation-battling sides who seem to be more comfortable playing away from home than in front of their home crowd. On the first matchday, they caused a major shock by beating Milan 2-1 at San Siro, and recently they have obtained some hard-fought victories on tough grounds like Catania and Bergamo (against Atalanta).

Out of the 22 points they have earned so far, the Felsinei have collected no less than 13 on the road. This statistic should be enough to warn Napoli that they won’t be in for a straightforward afternoon. Also, Bologna are coming off successive defeats against Fiorentina and Udinese, so they will be desperate to avoid a third straight loss at the San Paolo.

FORM GUIDE

Napoli

08/02 (Serie A): Palermo-Napoli 2-1

04/02 (Coppa Italia): Juventus-Napoli 0-0 a.e.t. (4-3 pens)

31/01 (Serie A): Napoli-Udinese 2-2

28/01 (Serie A): Fiorentina-Napoli 2-1

25/01 (Serie A): Napoli-Roma 0-3

Bologna

08/02 (Serie A): Udinese-Bologna 1-0

02/02 (Serie A): Bologna-Fiorentina 1-3

28/01 (Serie A): Atalanta-Bologna 0-1

25/01 (Serie A): Bologna-Milan 1-4

18/01 (Serie A): Catania-Bologna 1-2

Napoli

Star midfielder Marek Hamsik came back from international action with a muscular problem, and is a major doubt for this match. Meanwhile, goalkeepers Gennaro Iezzo and Matteo Gianello and defender Gianluca Grava are also out injured, while Daniele Mannini is out suspended until next year after showing up late for a doping test.

Possible formation (3-5-2): Navarro; Cannavaro, Rinaudo, Contini; Maggio, Blasi, Gargano, Datolo, Vitale; Denis, Lavezzi.

Bologna

Gabriele Paonessa, Pablo Osvaldo, Aparecido Cesar and Marcello Castellini are out injured.

Possible formation (4-5-1): Antonioli; Zenoni, Terzi, Moras, Lanna; Valiani, Mudingayi, Mingazzini, Volpi, Bombardini; Di Vaio.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Ezequiel Lavezzi (Napoli)

The 23-year-old striker is a major talent, and is the closest Napoli have to a natural leader on the pitch. Although he has scored just six goals, he has been inspirational for most of the season, providing a number of assists and showing an impressive array of tricks and great skill. Lately, like much of the team, he has faded a bit, but he is definitely another player the Argentinian national team can count on for the future.

Marco Di Vaio (Bologna)

The former Italian international striker is having one of his best seasons ever, and with 15 goals under his belt already he is the current Serie A top scorer. Some thought he was near the end of his career when he joined Genoa in Serie B in 2006, and didn’t manage to impress at the Grifoni, but with Bologna he has enjoyed a surprising comeback. If he keeps this up, he may well beat his own goalscoring record in a single Serie A season, which he established at Parma in the 2001/2002 season, when he scored 20 goals.

PREDICTION

Napoli’s struggles are likely to continue against a feisty Bologna side.

Napoli-Bologna 2-2

Danilo Pochini