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Two of the most closely matched teams in Italy square off this Saturday afternoon, as Udinese welcome Bologna to the Stadio Friuli.
The home side are currently 11th in the Serie A table, with 39 points from 34 matches.
They are almost certainly safe from any relegation worries, and can now focus on finishing as high as possible.
Bologna also have the same number of points as their Saturday opposition but are one spot below them due to a marginally worse goal difference. The two teams have also exhibited similar form heading into this one. Clearly, this is as tight as it gets.
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Udinese vs Bologna head-to-head
A total of 38 matches have been played between Udinese and Bologna in recent history, with the former prevailing on 18 occasions. Bologna have won 11 matches, while the remaining nine have been drawn.
The reverse fixture was one of the most frantic encounters of the season, which ended with Udinese stealing a 90th-minute equalizer against 10-men Bologna.
Udinese form guide: L-W-L-W-L
Bologna form guide: D-L-D-W-L
Udinese vs Bologna team news
Udinese
Luca Gotti will once again be without Manchester City loanee Jayden Braaf, who has turned heads at the club with his immense talent. The youngster is nursing a knee injury.
Former Barcelona and Everton forward Gerard Deulofeu also remains sidelined, although goalkeeper Juan Musso returns after a one-game suspension.
Injuries: Gerard Deulofeu, Jayden Braaf, Ilija Nestorovski, Ignacio Pussetto, Mato Jajalo
Doubtful: None
Suspensions: None
Bologna
Sinisa Mihajlovic has been hard done by injuries this season and claims his team would've fared much better with a bit of luck on the fitness end. Jerdy Schouten has been suspended for this match. Takehiro Tomiyasu recovered from an injury to feature in his club's 3-3 draw against Fiorentina last time out.
The man of the moment is veteran striker Rodrigo Palacio, who became the oldest player to score a Serie A hat-trick in the aforementioned match.
Injuries: Federico Santander, Gary Medel, Aaron Hickey, Nicolás Domínguez, Nicola Sansone
Doubtful: None
Suspensions: Jerdy Schouten
Udinese vs Bologna predicted XI
Udinese predicted XI (3-5-1-1): Juan Musso; Rodrigo Becão, Kevin Bonifazi, Bram Nuytinck; Nahuel Molina, Rodrigo De Paul, Walace, Tolgay Arslan, Jens Stryger Larsen; Roberto Pereyra; Stefano Okaka.
Bologna predicted XI (3-4-2-1): Łukasz Skorupski; Takehiro Tomiyasu, Adama Soumaoro, Danilo; Ricardo Orsolini, Mattias Svanberg, Roberto Soriano, Lorenzo De Silvestri; Emanuel Vignato, Musa Barrow, Rodrigo Palacio.
Udinese vs Bologna prediction
Both teams are missing several key figures up-front. However, Rodrigo Palacio's re-emergence has given Bologna a major boost. They showed a lot of character in their last match to grab a point despite trailing on three separate occasions.
Udinese's home form has been poor this season, but they were a little unlucky not to get anything from their latest match against Juventus.
Neither team will mind settling for a point, and we expect a draw in Udine.
Prediction: Udinese 1-1 Bologna
