BOLOGNA

League position: 9th
Head coach: Sinisa Mihajlovic
Serie A top-scorer: Marko Arnautovic (6)

RECENT FORM

BOLOGNA: L W W L W
ROMA: D L W W W

Mihajlovic’s men chalked up a third win in four by beating Spezia last time out, a victory that took them to within four points of the Giallorossi.

It has the Rossoblu dreaming of a first European campaign since their first round UEFA Cup exit in 1999-00, with their chances currently being fired by an in-form Arnautovic.

The Giallorossi have picked up three wins on the spin in all competitions, each of which has been underpinned by clean sheets.

That’s been a major boost to Mourinho’s team, who are now just three points off fourth-place and 10 off top spot, with all to play for after 14 rounds of fixtures.

Possible Bologna line-up

(3-4-2-1)

Audero; Soumaoro, Medel, Theate; De Silvestri, Svanberg, Dominguez, Hickey; Barrow, Soriano; Arnautovic

LAST MEETING

DANGER MAN
Marko Arnautovic

The Austrian has hit the ground running back in Italy, with six goals in 13 Serie A appearances at the tip of the Bologna attack.

Three of those goals have come in his team’s previous three victories and he has immediately become Mihajlovic’s go-to man in front of goal.

Club captain Roberto Soriano and Musa Barrow offer great support to Arnautovic, too, in what is a seriously talented front-three.

But it’s Arnautovic who poses the biggest threat of the three and he will need some special attention when these two sides meet.

MATCH STATS

Roma have won four of their last five Serie A games against Bologna, scoring 12 goals in the process at an average of 2.4 goals per game.

In fact, Bologna have won only one of their last 12 top-flight home games against Roma, with the Giallorossi picking up seven wins, four draws and just one defeat in the process.

Only Napoli (nine) have kept more clean sheets than Roma (six) and Bologna (five) in Serie A this season.

Roma have won two out of their last three away games in all competitions, scoring twice on all three occasions.

PLAYER STATS

• Mihajlovic made his Serie A debut as a player for Roma in 1992-93.
  
• Arnautovic has scored six goals in the league this season and the last Bologna player to score at least seven goals in the first 15 matches of a top-flight campaign for the club was Marco Di Vaio in 2010/11.
  
• Among the seven players to hit the woodwork at least three times in Serie A this term, three will play in this match: Tammy Abraham (four), Arnautovic and Barrow (both three).
  
• Abraham has scored three times across his last two games and has been involved in 10 goals in 20 appearances in all competitions this season (eight goals, two assists).

WHAT THEY SAID

“It’s true that Bologna haven’t had 21 points after 14 games since 2002, but we’ve thrown away many points this season against clubs that will be behind us in the standings at the end of the campaign.”

- Bologna coach, Sinisa Mihajlovic