Match brings together two teams heading into it from very different angles. Bologna have 11 points from 9 matches, 9 of them from their last four league games, and they go into this one after a 4-2 away win at AC Milan. Monza have scored 16 league goals but conceded 22, and that defensive return has left them exposed again.
Bologna's away form under Palladino
Bologna climbed to 11th in the Serie A table after the win in Milan, and the run under Raffaele Palladino now reads three victories, all away from home. They won 2-1 at Lecce, 2-0 at Cagliari and then 4-2 at AC Milan. Their only home match under the new boss finished in a 3-1 defeat to Inter Milan, which is why the lack of a home league win still hangs over this fixture.
That is the awkward part of Bologna's season so far. The team have found a rhythm on the road, and Samuel Mbangula has been part of the wider attack, but the one missing piece is still a result at the Dall'Ara.
Monza's defensive problem
Monza sit 16th and are only two points ahead of Parma. They have scored enough to stay in games, but 22 goals conceded in 9 matches is a poor base for any side trying to control results. Ivan Juric's own description of their collapse after half-time against earlier opposition does not help the case for a steadier performance here.
Gustavo Varela remains the threat on the other side of that problem. He has 8 Serie A goals this season, so Bologna cannot treat this as a routine home assignment. Even so, the balance of the numbers still favours the home side, especially with Monza having conceded more than they can afford over the first part of the season.
A similar test has already gone Bologna's way before. They beat Monza 3-1 in the last league meeting in Bologna, and the current version of this fixture again looks tilted toward the side with the cleaner structure away from home and the stronger recent run.
Written by Daniel Hartley with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 2 outlets. How we work →
