Bologna vs Palermo Prediction

Contrasting form on each side

Bologna's recent Serie A form has been shaky. They lost four games in a row - away at AC Milan and Cagliari, then at home to Inter, then away at Lecce - before beating Monza in their last outing. A few pre-season friendlies are mixed into that sample too, so it's not a pure league run, but the dip in results is clear enough.

Bologna: 20 completed matches; Palermo: 20 completed matches.

Bologna

20 matches

Win

40% 8 / 20

Draw

25% 5 / 20

Loss

35% 7 / 20

Scored

28

Conceded

29

Difference

-1

Palermo

20 matches

Win

65% 13 / 20

Draw

20% 4 / 20

Loss

15% 3 / 20

Scored

45

Conceded

23

Difference

+22

Palermo's Serie B form reads better on paper. They've won plenty of matches and scored freely, including a 3-1 home win over Vicenza Virtus in their last outing. Away from home, though, it's been less convincing: a draw at Pisa and defeats at Mantova, Empoli and Arezzo all feature among their last few trips on the road.

Palermo's away form in Serie B has been noticeably shakier than their home numbers suggest.

Comparative Team Statistics: Bologna vs Palermo

A head-to-head record that's mostly ancient history

These two have met plenty of times, but almost all of it dates back to Serie A meetings between 2010 and 2017, plus a 2023 friendly that finished 2-2. Both squads look completely different now, so none of that really tells us much about how this particular tie will go.

Palermo's attacking names to watch

The player data available here leans heavily towards Palermo. Joel Pohjanpalo has scored three goals in his last two appearances, while Daniel Johnsen has chipped in with a goal and two assists over the same span. Vavassori and Strefezza have also found the net recently.

Palermo:

Best scorers:

J. Pohjanpalo - 3

D. Johnsen - 1

D. Vavassori - 1

Best assist providers:

D. Johnsen - 2

D. Vavassori - 1

J. Segre - 1

Penalty cards:

A. Palumbo x 1

There's no matching breakdown for Bologna's squad here, and nothing on fitness for either side, so this only tells part of the story. Palumbo's lone yellow card in two games is the only discipline note worth flagging.

If Pohjanpalo keeps scoring at this rate, he's the Palermo player most likely to trouble Bologna.

How this one could play out

Bologna have conceded nearly as many goals as they've scored across their recent sample, and they've just come off four straight losses before beating Monza. That's not the profile of a side cruising into a cup tie full of confidence.

Palermo bring a sharper scoring record and a player in good form up top, but their away form has wobbled lately too. Expect a game that could open up at both ends rather than a cagey, low-scoring cup night.