Venezia vs Bologna: Can a Sinking Side Stop Bologna's Flying Form?

Friday night football in Serie A. Venezia vs Bologna. On paper it sounds straightforward. Look at the form and it really is.

Venezia: The Basics Are Not There

Venezia have won one of their last five Serie A matches. One. They have scored two goals in that same sample and conceded eight. That is not a rough patch. That is a team struggling to compete at this level.

The thing is, the results tell the full story before you even think about anything else. Venezia lost to Lazio, lost to Atalanta, lost to Genoa, lost to Inter. They beat Napoli 1-0 in between, which is the kind of result that flatters a side and masks how bad things actually are. You beat Napoli, great. Then you go and lose 0-1 to Genoa at home. What does that tell you about standards? It tells you plenty.

Their goals-against column reads eight from five matches. Their clean sheet record in this sample sits at twenty per cent. One clean sheet. Against Napoli. The same side they beat. The defence is simply not doing the basics. They are not compact, they are not organised, and they are not competing for the full ninety minutes. I do not need anyone to tell me that. I can see it.

Bologna: Direct, Clinical, Dangerous

Bologna come into this in a completely different frame of mind. Three wins from five Serie A matches. Ten goals scored. They put four past AC Milan, winning that one 4-2. They beat Cagliari 2-0 and beat Lecce 2-1. Their only low point in this sample was a 1-3 defeat to Inter, which, listen, Inter beat everyone. That result changes nothing about how I view Bologna right now.

The thing is, eighty per cent of their last five matches have seen both teams score. That is not a clean sheet merchant you are dealing with. Bologna come forward, they create, and they leave gaps. Against a Venezia side that cannot score, that open style may actually work in the home side's favour for a spell. But only for a spell.

Bologna do carry some injury concerns. The data shows two players currently out for them, one of moderate severity. That is a consideration but it is not an excuse to back away from them. Three wins from five is three wins from five. The attitude and desire are clearly there in that squad.

The Verdict

Venezia need a result. Needing a result and getting one are two entirely different things. There is no evidence in their recent Serie A form that they have the quality or the consistency to take anything from a Bologna side running hot right now.

Bologna win. I am confident in that. The only question is whether the scoreline ends up being a comfortable one or whether Venezia nick a late consolation and make it look closer than it was. Based on everything in front of me, I would expect goals in this game and I would expect Bologna to be the team celebrating at full time.

Accountability. That word means something. Venezia's players need to look at four losses from five and feel it. Whether they do on Friday night is another matter entirely. End of.