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Liverpool vs Bologna Team News And Predicted Lineups Ahead Of Champions League Clash At Anfield
Cai is a news and features writer that specialises in football, but has experience covering a variety of other sports, including darts, basketball, American football, MMA, boxing and more. He holds a degree in Football Journalism (BA Hons) from the University of Derby, and worked with Nottingham Forest FC and Burton Albion FC throughout his studies. Cai also has experience working in social media with the Football Association of Wales, where he worked on a freelance basis, and has also been an accredited writer in the JD Cymru Premier for both Y Clwb Pêl-Droed and welshfootie since the 2019/20 season.
Get to know Cai Parry betterPublished5 hours ago on October 01, 2024
Liverpool return to Champions League action when they welcome Bologna to Anfield on Wednesday evening, and we’ve got the latest in terms of team news and predicted lineups ahead of the action.
Premier League table toppers Liverpool return to Champions League action this week as they host Serie A outfit Bologna in their second league phase fixture of the campaign on Wednesday evening.
Arne Slot’s side recorded an impressive 3-1 win against AC Milan at the San Siro in the first round of fixtures and have since won three matches in succession in the English top flight and the Carabao Cup.
These results include a 3-0 win over Bournemouth, a thumping 5-1 triumph over West Ham, and most recently, a narrow 2-1 win against Wolves at Molineux to move to the summit of the Premier League table.
Bologna, meanwhile, have endured an underwhelming start to the 2024/25 season, winning just one of their opening seven competitive fixtures. That being said, they have only lost once, with the other five matches all ending in draws, including a 0-0 draw against Shakhtar in their Champions League opener.
Last time out, the Italian side came close to recording a second successive victory in the league, having beaten Monza in the game prior, however their 1-0 lead over Atalanta was nullified due to a last-minute equaliser.
Vincenzo Italiano’s side come into this one, perhaps unsurprisingly given the calibre of opponent, as massive 14/1 outsiders according to the UK’s best football betting sites, while Liverpool are heavily favoured to win at 2/11.
Liverpool Team News
First choice left-back Andy Robertson was forced off against Wolves on Sunday after being on the end of a heavy challenge, but it is expected that the Scotsman will be available for the visit of Bologna and he could be in line to make his first Champions League appearance of the campaign.
The same cannot be said for Federico Chiesa however, as he has been ruled out after missing training on Tuesday. Also missing training was Diogo Jota due to a minor foot injury, but Slot has since confirmed that he expects the Portuguese forward to be available on Wednesday.
There could also be a return for Darwin Nunez, who missed out on the trip to Molineux due to illness, while Dutch forward Cody Gakpo is another option for the Reds in attack.
Bologna Team News
As for I Rossoblù, they have numerous injury concerns, with all of Lewis Ferguson, Tommaso Pobega and Oussama El Azzouzi ruled out, each with reported knee injuries.
Santiago Castro, who scored in the draw against Atalanta on Sunday, is also a doubt after being forced off in the 68th minute, and a late assessment is required to see if he will have any involvement in Merseyside.
If Castro is indeed absent, Thijs Dallinga, signed in the summer from Toulouse, should lead the line, with Riccardo Orsolini and Dan Ndoye expected to start on either wing in support of the Dutchman.
Liverpool vs Bologna Predicted Lineups
Liverpool (4-2-3-1): Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Konate, Van Dijk, Robertson; Gravenberch, Mac Allister; Salah, Szoboszlai, Diaz; Jota
Bologna (4-3-3): Skorupski; Posch, Beukema, Lucumi, Lykogiannis; Aebischer, Freuler, Fabbian; Orsolini, Dallinga, Ndoye