Round 33: Juventus vs. Bologna match preview

Yahoo Sports3h ago10 min readOriginal source →

TL;DR

Juventus faces Bologna in a crucial Serie A match that could solidify their fourth-place standing. A win would give Juventus a five-point lead over Como with only five games left in the season.

Key points

Juventus aims to secure fourth place in Serie A.
A win would give Juventus a five-point lead over Como.
Bologna recently lost 4-0 to Aston Villa in the Europa League.
Juventus has won their last two matches.
The match is critical for both teams' standings.

Mentioned in this story

Luciano SpallettiFederico BernardeschiVincenzo Italiano

JuventusBolognaComoInter Milan

BOLOGNA, ITALY - 2025/12/14: Tommaso Pobega of Bologna (L) and Gleison Bremer of Juventus (R) seen in action during the SERIE A match Bologna and Juventus at Stadio Renato DallAra. Final score; Bologna 0:1 Juventus. (Photo by Grzegorz Wajda/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images) We sat here all of two weeks ago wondering how much help Juventus could get from the upcoming opposition that fourth-place Como had on the schedule. Little did we know that not only would Juve win both of those first two games out of the March international break, but also see Como suddenly lose any sort of form that they had going into the break. The door has been left wide open for Juventus to take control of the race for fourth place — and that is again the case this weekend. And due in large part to another big piece of help from an unlikely kind of source. Juventus hit the middle fixture of their huge three-game stretch that sees them facing their toughest opposition remaining in the 2025-26 season. After grinding out a 1-0 win in Bergamo last weekend and seeing Como fall a little more than 24 hours later to ensure the Bianconeri would finish the weekend in fourth place, Bologna will make the trip to Turin to see just how much Luciano Spalletti’s squad can take advantage of another big slice of help. Last week it came from league-leading Inter Milan, which isn’t a huge surprise knowing that they’re on the brink of clinching the Scudetto (which is gross). On Friday it was … Sassuolo?!?! Yep, ! So now, as Juventus take the field on Sunday night against and a Bologna squad that was just bounced from the Europa League by in a blowout kind of fashion, the Bianconeri could extend their advantage over Como to five points with five games to play with a win. Hell, if continue on their recent downward trajectory and somehow drop points to soon-to-be Serie B-bound this weekend, Juventus could very well be within striking distance of third place. All of this didn’t seem possible a couple of weeks ago as we watched fail to qualify for another World Cup and we were all both mad about the national team but also trying to do the math about how Juventus could try and make it all happen and get back into the top four before the season is over. Instead, it took them all of a couple of weeks because they have won both of their games *and* gotten about as much help from the direct rivals’ opposition as they could have dreamed to get. Seriously, just think about it for a second. Juventus were three points *behind* Como just two weeks ago. Now, with a win over Bologna, the script will have completely flipped and they will be five points *ahead* of Como. Same goes for the distance between Juventus and Roma after the latter played to a 1-1 draw against at the Stadio Olimpico on Saturday night. You can’t draw it up any better than that. With a win over Bologna at the Allianz, the scope of the entire race for fourth place will have changed dramatically. And luckily for us, that is the luxury (or maybe a different word if you want to use one) that Spalletti now has. His team is in the driver’s seat — and rather suddenly, too. This is Juventus’ chance to not just get a nice advantage over Como and Roma, but to really give themselves some much-needed breathing room entering a challenging final five weeks of the season. Just because they will be done with this big three-game stretch a week from now doesn’t mean that the schedule will suddenly become a simple matter in which the final month isn’t challenging. But it’s impossible to ignore what kind of opportunity that Juve have in front of them come Sunday night. To go from three points out of the Champions League qualification and needing a ton of help to having the chance to be five points up over your closest competition in the span of about two weeks? That’s wild — and something I didn’t think would be possible at any point of this home stretch, let alone in this short a period time. To do that, though, it will come against a Bologna squad that we’re not really sure what kind of shape they will be following their European ouster just a couple of days ago. Will Bologna look like the squad that have won six of their last eight Serie A fixtures? Or is the Bologna team that rolls into Turin will be one that has a massive hangover after their 4-0 loss to Aston Villa in the Europa League? Those are two very different kinds of Bologna sides. We know Vincenzo Italian is a good manager. He has shown it at and now at Bologna with a Coppa Italia last season as proof of that. But they are also a team that heads to Turin to face Juventus all of 72 hours after they were punted from Europe by a 7-1 aggregate scoreline. For a team that doesn’t have a ton of European experience outside of the last two years, it’s hard to say just how much that might carry over back to domestic competition. By the way, five of those six wins over the last eight games that Bologna have recorded, they’ve come by a one-goal margin. That is a team grinding out results against both mid-table teams as well as teams in or around the relegation zone. Also: Five of the last six meetings between Juventus and Bologna have ended in a draw. That’s … a lot! Another draw against Bologna won’t be the end of the world, but it wouldn’t be the full maximization of the opportunity that is now at hand. They could very well be a team that is hitting a decent late-season stride at the exact time in which they need it. You know Spalletti has seen the results the last couple of nights from his office at Continassa and realize the opportunity his team now has. We will see if this Juve team can actually take advantage of it. In previous seasons it might be one that they’ve missed. But they’ve basically had the red carpet rolled out for them over the last couple of weeks with all the help from other teams they’ve gotten. No matter if it’s a big win or a slim one, they just gotta keep winning.

Q&A

What is the significance of the Juventus vs. Bologna match?

The match is crucial for Juventus as a win would extend their lead over Como in the race for fourth place in Serie A.

How have Juventus performed in their recent matches?

Juventus has won both of their previous matches since the March international break, positioning themselves for a strong finish in the league.

What is Bologna's recent form heading into the match?

Bologna's form is uncertain after being eliminated from the Europa League with a heavy 4-0 loss to Aston Villa.

What are the implications for Juventus if they win against Bologna?

A victory would not only give Juventus a five-point cushion over Como but also potentially put them in striking distance of third place.