Salernitana vs Bologna: The Garnets have a fighting chance

On Matchday 27 of the Italian Championship, Salernita and Bologna open Saturday's programme. Salerno managed to snatch points from AC Milan last time out. Will the Garnets be able to repeat their success? We have a couple of options to choose from. 

Salernitana's extensive transfer campaign this winter quickly began to pay off. For the match against Bologna, the team, now led by one of Italy's top survival specialists Davide Nicola, comes up with three straight draws. The Garnets have taken turns to score against two direct rivals, La Spezia and Genoa, before losing to AC Milan last weekend. 2-2 - Salerno were even close to winning, conceding first but scoring two straight goals by the 72nd minute.

At the end of a goalless stretch, Salernitana no longer look hopeless. They are 8 points adrift of 17th place, but the Garnets side have one or two games to play against almost all of their rivals.

Sinisa Mihajlovic's team won only one match from 5 December to 12 February and lost seven times in 9 games. But in the last round, Bologna finally deigned to win again. On home soil, the Red and Blue broke down the resistance of La Spezia. The Eagles were the first to score, but they couldn't hold on to even a draw. 1-2, with Marko Arnautovic scoring at the end of each half. Bologna are 13th in Serie A and nine points ahead of the relegation zone.

Numerous newcomers to Salernitana added momentum to their game. In particular, defender Fazio and goalkeeper Sepe are worth mentioning. And for the game against Bologna, Simone Verdi, who missed the meeting with AC Milan due to injury, returns. The Red and Blue defeated La Spezia, and Sinisa Mihajlovic's side traditionally lacked motivation for two wins in a row in the second half of the season.

We predict that Salernitana will be closer to winning; the team has a realistic chance of keeping their place in Serie A.

• Asian handicap 1 (+0.25) for 2.01;
• W1 for 3.50;
• Salernitana to win by 1 goal for 5.15.