Serie A official line-ups: Napoli vs. Bologna
· Yahoo Sports
Napoli lose Kevin De Bruyne, but have Giovanni Di Lorenzo back after more than three months with Rasmus Hojlund, Alisson Santos and Giovane against Santiago Castro’s Bologna.
Visit afnews.co.za for more information.
It kicks off at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona at 19.45 UK time (20.45 CEST).
You can follow all the build-up and action as it happens on the Liveblog.
The Partenopei are starting to feel the tension as there is a growing crowd of clubs pushing for those Champions League places, so a victory here is necessary to take them away from the chasing pack.
De Bruyne was all set to start, but pulled out with a fitness issue this afternoon, so Giovane steps into the trident attack with Hojlund and Alisson Santos.
Scott McTominay and Stanislav Lobotka pull the midfield strings, but the big news is the return of Di Lorenzo, the captain’s first appearance since a knee ligament injury against Fiorentina on January 31.
He goes into the back three, leaving Matteo Politano and Miguel Gutierrez as wing-backs, with David Neres and Romelu Lukaku the only remaining absentees.
RIYADH, SAUDI ARABIA – DECEMBER 22: Giovanni Di Lorenzo of SSC Napoli lifts the Supercoppa Italiana trophy after the team’s victory in the Supercoppa Italiana Final between SSC Napoli and Bologna FC 1909 at King Saud University Stadium on December 22, 2025 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. (Photo by Yasser Bakhsh/Getty Images)
Bologna have abandoned hopes of a seventh-place finish, which could’ve been valid for the Conference League only if Lazio lose the Coppa Italia Final to Inter on Wednesday.
The focus now is on ending the season relatively well, but they scraped one point from the last three rounds, all while failing to score a single goal.
There are plenty of injury problems, missing Martin Vitik, Nicolò Cambiaghi and Nicolò Casale, though Joao Mario returns to the bench after shaking off a muscular issue.
BOLOGNA, ITALY – APRIL 25: Riccardo Orsolini of Bologna FC reacts during the Serie A match between Bologna FC 1909 and AS Roma at Renato Dall’Ara Stadium on April 25, 2026 in Bologna, Italy. (Photo by Emmanuele Ciancaglini/Getty Images)
Castro leads the attack, fresh from being included in Argentina’s 55-man longlist for the World Cup squad.
He is supported by Riccardo Orsolini and Federico Bernardeschi, leaving Jonathan Rowe on the bench.
Bologna have quite a strong record against the Partenopei, winning 2-0 at the Stadio Dall’Ara in November, but were beaten by the same result on neutral turf in the Supercoppa Italiana Final on December 22.
RIYADH, SAUDI ARABIA – DECEMBER 22: Stanislav Lobotka of SSC Napoli controls the ball whilst under pressure from Lewis Ferguson of Bologna during the Supercoppa Italiana Final between SSC Napoli and Bologna FC 1909 at King Saud University Stadium on December 22, 2025 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. (Photo by Abdullah Ahmed/Getty Images)
Napoli vs. Bologna line-ups
Napoli: Milinkovic-Savic; Di Lorenzo, Rrahmani, Buongiorno; Politano, Lobotka, McTominay, Gutierrez; Giovane, Hojlund, Alisson
Bologna: Pessina; Joao Mario, Helland, Lucumì, Miranda; Ferguson, Freuler, Pobega; Orsolini, Castro, Bernardeschi