Three to Watch: Bologna possess youthful energy across the field

Led by Europe’s top striker – Edin Dzeko – the Giallorossi are looking to take their seventh win out of the last nine matches.

Although the Rossoblu have recently lost star attacker Simone Verdi to injury, our columnist believes these three players will pose the biggest threat to Roma’s ascent to the top of the Serie A table…

Mattia Destro

Having returned to practice on Thursday, Bologna’s centre forward is no stranger to the Olimpico’s locker room, and he will be looking for redemption against his former employer - if he gets the chance to make an immediate return to first team action.

The focal point of Roberto Donadoni’s attack when fully fit, Destro leads in goals amongst active players for his club, having found the back of the net three times already.

He relies on his body size to shift the ball into space within the opponent’s box, while his uncanny sense of positioning makes him a consistently lethal target with his head as well as his feet.

Now 25, Destro will be hoping for a continued array of goals to present himself as a viable candidate for World Cup qualifiers.

Ladislav Krejci

The Czech international has recently joined the Rossoblu after spending seven seasons with Sparta, during which he made 123 first-team appearances and scored 25 goals.

Krejci has 26 caps for the Czech Republic national team and was a starter in all three group stage matches at this summer's European Championship

Krejci leads the team with three assists, and has a pass completion rate of 84%. A sure-start on the left attacking flank, the Eastern European prodigy will look to work in tandem with Destro to stress Roma's right flank.

Adam Masina

The 22-year-old is a true success story of Italian football - after featuring as just a reserve striker for Bologna's Primavera, Masina was converted to a left full-back in order to better suit his strengths.

This transition has helped him become one of the more skilled defenders - despite his age – in the league, showing echoes of his former position, strong dribbling and motive to force play forward, that adds an extra dimension to his defensive role.

As for those defensive contributions, Masina has won 14 tackles this season with a success rate of 40%. He has also made 22 interceptions, won 32 clearances and completed five blocks.

He will surely prove difficult to handle behind Krejci, and is one to watch out for in future consideration of the Azzurri.