Bologna strives to improve their chances of securing a top-four place as they host Serie A leaders Napoli at Stadio Dall'Ara on Monday evening.
The Rossoblu ascended to Serie A fame yet made their debut in Italian Cup finals last season and Napoli battles with Inter Milan to secure the Scudetto.
A makeshift Empoli squad provided no match for Bologna at Stadio Castellani when the two teams met for their cup semi-final first leg this Tuesday as the Rossoblu secured a 3-0 victory before putting theirs in the Coppa Italia final.
The match became a one-sided contest after Riccardo Orsolini extended his run of excellent goal-scoring in the first half period before Dan Ndoye provided assist setups to Thijs Dallinga twice.
The Emilian club accumulated their sixth consecutive victory in all competitions but faces challenging Serie A matches before their second leg final in late February.
In their recent victory against Venezia Orsolini doubled his output from the previous Serie A season by scoring his 11th goal thus achieving his best league scoring record.
Eight league matches stand between Bologna and their opponents Atalanta BC, Juventus, Fiorentina and each of the Milan clubs during their climactic European qualification phase.
The Rossoblu players resume their Serie A home matches at the Dall'Ara where they remain unbeaten for six straight games while looking to complete a victory against Napoli which Napoli have not accomplished since 2019.
The opposing team Bologna suffered a 3-0 defeat at Stadio Maradona when Napoli visited for their last meeting of the season in 2019-2020. Since then Napoli have managed to defeat Bologna in all nine league matches including this home match.
Despite their recent struggles—winning just two of their last eight league matches—Napoli remain determined to secure a second Serie A title in three years. While they trail leaders Inter, they are still the closest challengers in the Scudetto race.
Unlike Inter, who must balance league commitments with cup competitions, Napoli can now focus solely on their remaining eight Serie A fixtures. They returned from the international break with a vital 2-1 victory at home, reigniting their title hopes.
In their latest triumph, Napoli defeated AC Milan for the second time this season, storming into a two-goal lead. Matteo Politano opened the scoring, followed by a somewhat scrappy finish from Romelu Lukaku, who celebrated his 400th career goal.
Since the start of 2025, only Mateo Retegui—the current favorite for the Capocannoniere—has contributed to more Serie A goals than Lukaku. With five goals and four assists, the Belgian striker has been instrumental in keeping Napoli’s fading title hopes alive.
After holding off a late Milan surge to claim three points, Napoli now have a chance to string together consecutive league wins for the first time since January—the same month they last secured an away victory. However, a tough test awaits against Bologna.
