Streaking Juventus Seek Fifth Straight Serie A Win

Juventus vs Bologna

Juventus once again find themselves in their familiar spot atop the Serie A table after their impressive 2-1 win over Inter in the Derby d’Italia before the international break.

After a somewhat rocky start to the season, the Bianconeri are finally playing the type of football manager Maurizio Sarri was hired to provide.

Juventus will now look to extend their current winning streak as they host a struggling Bologna side. After a promising start to their campaign, I Rossoblu have failed to pick up any wins over their past four games, which has seen them slip down the table.

The Serie A 2019 odds will be heavily against them as they visit the defending champions. But with their ill coach back in the dugout, Bologna will not be short of inspiration for this match.

Talking Points

Juventus finally playing Sarri-ball

It took a while, but Juventus are playing the type of football that Maurizio Sarri was brought on for. Their recent performances against Bayer Leverkusen in the Champions League and Inter in the Derby d’Italia have been their best of the season thus far.

They’ve now won five games in a row in all competitions — four in Serie A — following their back-to-back draws against Fiorentina and Atletico Madrid.

Sarri has seemingly settled on playing a midfield diamond with two strikers upfront. That formation has helped bring out the best in Miralem Pjanic, who’s been having a resurgent season.

Sarri has also figured out how to get the best out of Argentines Paulo Dybala and Gonzalo Higuain, who were supposedly surplus to requirements before the start of the season. Dybala has a goal and two assists in his last three games, while Higuain has scored in each of his last two.

Meanwhile, Cristiano Ronaldo just continues his amazing level of production. He’s scored in three of his last four games for Juve and also netted in each of Portugal’s two Euro 2020 qualifying matches during the international break. That includes his 700th career goal in their 2-1 loss to Ukraine.

Cristiano Ronaldo is expected to score a lot of goals in Serie A this season — Cristiano Ronaldo celebrates with Blaise Matuidi after Juventus’ 2-1 victory against Inter Milan

Bologna in a slump

Bologna started the season promisingly enough as they won two of their first three matches. However, their recent Serie A 2019 results have declined; they have failed to win any of their last four matches (two draws, two defeats).

They could only draw 2-2 against Lazio at home in their most recent match before the international break. That’s despite taking the lead twice and having a man advantage, although that lasted just 11 minutes.

Manager Sinisa Mihajlovic has missed most of the season due to his ongoing battle with leukaemia. But he was given the all-clear by doctors to return to work, and he made his return against Lazio.

Mihajlovic’s presence should help boost his slumping side’s morale. The Serbian famously called from his bedside to deliver a rousing half-time team talk against Brescia, which inspired his side to win 4-3 after being down 3-1.

Of course, this match away against the defending champions will be several times more difficult. But at the very least, he should help them be a bit more competitive.

History

Juventus have had a brilliant record against Bologna through the years. In the 42 matches they’ve played since 1996, Juventus have won 31 of them and Bologna have won just two.

The Bianconeri have won their last seven games on the bounce against Bologna in all competitions and have gone unbeaten against them in their last 16 (14 wins, two draws).

Bologna’s last win over Juve came all the way back in 2011, and it came in Turin. However, Juve’s home form and Bologna’s away form have been polar opposites. Juventus have won 27 of their last 32 Serie A home games, while Bologna have failed to win 30 of their last 33 away.

Betting Tip

	Juventus vs Bologna	Juventus Asian Handicap -1.50 @ 2.11
	October 20, 02:45 (GMT+8)

The Serie A 2019 odds are not high on Bologna’s chances of victory. The visitors are priced at 9.25 to win on the 1X2 market, with Juve at 1.35 and a draw at 4.60.

There’s not much value in wagering on those Juventus odds to win, but there is a ton of value on the Asian Handicap market.

With Juve finding their feet under Sarri, I fully expect them to continue their fine form at home and take care of business against Bologna. Look for the champions to run out comfortable winners in this first match after the international break.