Looking ahead to an exciting fixture at the Dall’Ara. On Sunday, two in-form teams go toe to toe.

The Stadio Renato Dall’Ara will play host to a clash in the upper echelons of the table on Sunday 15 March for the meeting between Bologna and Lazio, who are separated by just a single point (Lazio on 51, Bologna 50) and are hot on the heels of Juventus (52) in fourth.

With two months to go until the end of the season, the fight for the Champions League places is more open than ever, and the game in Bologna promises to be a spectacle.

Both sides are in brilliant form and have been performing well since the start of the campaign.

On the one side, Bologna go into it following three straight wins, the best run for Italiano’s boys since November. Last time out, against Verona, they recorded their first away win of 2025. On the other, we have Lazio, who are unbeaten in six games (for the first time this season) in a run that has seen them win three and draw three.

ON THE ATTACK!

The game at the Dall’Ara promises action and goals. Lazio have the second-best attack in Serie A on 50 goals (after Inter and Atalanta, both on 63). In their most recent outing, against Udinese, Baroni had Vecino back at his disposal in midfield and the Uruguayan assisted Romagnoli’s goal – his second assist this season (a feat he last managed in 19/20 as an Inter player).

Bologna, again, are also having a productive year in attack. The Rossoblù have scored 44 goals to date, one fewer than Juventus and Napoli. They have also made club history: this is the first time since 65/66 that they have scored 44+ goals in their first 28 games of a Serie A campaign (53 in 65/66).

TALKING TACTICS

We’ve already spoken about Baroni’s selection in the last round of fixtures, which saw Vecino return to the starting line-up for Lazio. Italiano, on the other hand, has created an attack-minded Bologna side. The Rossoblù are dynamic in possession and look to get the ball up the field quickly. A potential weapon up top is Odgaard, who took his goal really well in Verona (and came close after the break too, but Montipò produced a great stop).

WHO TO KEEP AN EYE ON?

Two players stood out in the last matchday.

Alessio Romagnoli scored his first Serie A goal in 646 days (against Empoli at the Castellani - Computer Gross Arena on 3 June 2023). Monday was the end of a good week for Romagnoli, who also scored in the first leg of the Europa League round of 16. This is only the third time in his career that he’s scored in two consecutive games; the last time times were both at AC Milan – in November 2017 and November 2018.

For Bologna, that player was Nicolò Cambiaghi, who broke an 11-month goal drought in Serie A. His last goal prior to Sunday was against Torino on 6 April 2024. Furthermore, against Hellas, he extended his run to three consecutive games in Serie A with a goal involvement (one goal, two assists), for the first time since May 2023.

BARONI, THOSE TWO GOALS…

There’s a subtle but incredible link between Baroni, and we’re talking about Baroni as a player, and both clubs. The story took place when the current Lazio boss was at... Napoli.

It was the 1989/90 season and Baroni played in defence for the Napoli side, which included Maradona. In that campaign, he scored two goals, both of which were at the San Paolo and both of which were historic. The first, against Bologna on 17 December 1989, was the 3000th in the club’s history. The second, against Lazio on 29 April 1990, was the Scudetto winner.

ITALIANO, ONE AFTERNOON AT THE DALL’ARA

Vincenzo Italiano had a decent career as a player and his first appearance in Serie A came against the team he currently coaches. It was 1997, 2 February to be precise, and Italiano, who had just turned 19, was playing for Hellas Verona (where he played from 1998 to 2005 and then again from 2005 to 2007). His coach at the time, Luigi Cagni, sent him on in the 46th minute away at Bologna to make his top-flight debut.

(Photo LaPresse + Guerin Sportivo)

Bologna Lazio Serie A