Preview: Fiorentina vs. Bologna - prediction, team news, lineups

Fiorentina head into Sunday's Serie A fixture with Bologna looking for the victory which will keep them in the hunt for European qualification.

I Viola currently sit in eighth position in the standings, albeit with a game in hand, while Bologna are in 12th spot having put together a three-match unbeaten run.

Match preview

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After losing Dusan Vlahovic to Juventus, a player who contributed the majority of their goals during the first half of the season, Fiorentina deserve a certain amount of credit for remaining in the top eight.

However, failure to defeat either of Sassuolo or Verona represents a double blow for Vincenzo Italiano and his squad, who must find a way of bouncing back during a testing run of games.

Although a 1-0 success at home to Atalanta BC remains fresh in the memory, a three-match winless streak in all competitions has halted any growing momentum.

That said, Fiorentina remain just four points adrift of fifth-placed Roma with a match in hand, highlighting how victory on Sunday could prove to be a turning point.

Krzysztof Piatek, one of the replacements for Vlahovic, netted again in the draw with Verona, taking his tally to six goals from nine appearances since his January arrival.

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At one stage, Bologna looked like being rivals to Fiorentina in the race to secure a minimum seventh-placed finish, but they have struggled since the beginning of December.

In claiming five points from their last three fixtures, that represents their best run for over three months, Sinisa Mihajlovic's side now sitting in 12th spot.

Only collecting a draw at bottom-placed Salernitana could not be perceived to be a good result, although there would have been few complaints with the goalless stalemate with Torino which followed that contest.

I Rossoblu have gone four matches without recording an away win in Serie A, the last triumph on their travels coming at Sassuolo at the end of 2021.

Team News

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Italiano will likely take the opportunity to make changes to his Fiorentina XI after they drew a blank against Verona.

Nicolas Gonzalez could return to the team on the left flank, while Giacomo Bonaventura may be handed a recall in the centre of midfield after serving a one-match ban.

However, Arthur Cabral could remain among the replacements, with right-back Alvaro Odriozola staying sidelined with a knee injury.

Bologna will have to make do without Arthur Theate, who is serving a ban, so Ibrahima Mbaye could be handed his second Serie A start since his arrival.

Lorenzo De Silvestri is pushing to shake off a minor calf problem, but Marko Arnautovic is available again after coronavirus.

Fiorentina possible starting lineup:

Terracciano; Venuti, Milenkovic, Martinez, Biraghi; Castrovilli, Torreira, Bonaventura; Ikone, Piatek, Gonzalez

Bologna possible starting lineup:

Skorupski; Soumaoro, Medel, Mbaye; Silvestri, Schouten, Svanberg, Hickey; Soriano; Arnautovic, Orsolini

We say: Fiorentina 2-1 Bologna

Despite 10 points separating the two clubs in the table, this has all the makings of a hard-fought contest. However, while we expect Bologna to continue their recent improvements, Fiorentina represent a step up in class, leading us to predict a narrow win for the home side.