Napoli vs Bologna: Preview, alineaciones confirmadas y predicción — Jornada 36 de la Serie A
Napoli host a struggling Bologna at the Maradona on Monday night, with De Bruyne and Højlund expected to test a visiting defence that has conceded six goals in two games.
The Stadio Diego Armando Maradona hosts a pivotal Serie A encounter on Monday evening as Napoli look to assert title-race credentials against a Bologna side that has badly lost its way in recent weeks.
Form Analysis
Napoli arrive into this fixture carrying momentum despite a slight stutter. Antonio Conte's side were held to a goalless draw at Como last time out, a result that tempered enthusiasm after an emphatic 4-0 thrashing of Cremonese. Look back a little further and the quality is evident: a 1-0 win over AC Milan in April remains among the most impressive results any side has produced this campaign, while a victory at Cagliari before that showed Napoli can grind out results on the road too. The one blot was a 2-0 home loss to Lazio, which demonstrated there are still vulnerabilities at the Maradona when the press is high and the tempo relentless.
Bologna, by contrast, look weary and uncertain. Vincenzo Italiano's men have won just once in their last five matches — a 2-1 victory at Cremonese on April 5 — and have shipped four goals without reply in back-to-back defeats to Roma and Juventus. A goalless draw with Cagliari last weekend did little to lift spirits. Three points conceded to bottom-half opposition in their last outing simply underlines a side lacking conviction in the final third, with Federico Bernardeschi carrying most of the creative burden.
Key Players
The marquee presence in this Napoli starting XI is Kevin De Bruyne. The Belgian playmaker's ability to unlock deep defensive lines with incisive through balls will be central to whether Napoli can build pressure early. Alongside him, Scott McTominay provides the engine and the late runs into the box that have already yielded crucial goals this season, while Stanislav Lobotka dictates the rhythm from deep. Up front, Rasmus Højlund will be tasked with punishing any lapse in Bologna's defensive concentration — the Danish striker has the pace and movement to exploit the channels behind Jhon Lucumí and Juan Miranda.
For Bologna, Remo Freuler and Simon Sohm will need to cut off the supply lines to De Bruyne and McTominay quickly. Freuler's experience in midfield duels makes him Bologna's most credible option for disrupting Napoli's flow. Jens Odgaard and Benja Domínguez must take their few chances when they come — Bologna have struggled to convert, and Massimo Pessina between the sticks will need a near-flawless performance to keep Napoli at bay.
Prediction
The numbers tilt clearly towards the home side. Napoli's overall probability of victory sits at 58%, with our model predicting a 2-1 home win at 63% confidence. Bologna's recent defensive fragility — conceding six goals in their last two competitive losses — makes them particularly vulnerable to a Napoli side that can call upon the creativity of De Bruyne and the work rate of McTominay. The draw remains a possibility at 22%, and there is a 43% chance both teams find the net, suggesting Bologna may score but ultimately not enough. Expect Napoli to control the tempo at the Maradona, create the cleaner openings, and take three points that would keep their own ambitions very much alive heading into the final stages of the season.