Roma head into Wednesday's Serie A fixture at Bologna keen to secure a third successive win, a result which would keep them clear in fifth position.
Meanwhile, Bologna have recorded three victories in four outings, a run of form which has resulted in Sinisa Mihajlovic's side emerging as contenders for the European places.
Match preview
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The opening few months at Roma have not gone perfectly for Jose Mourinho, his side having recently posted just one win from seven games in all competitions.
Nevertheless, three successive victories, all with clean sheets, against Genoa, Zorya Luhansk and Torino have boosted their ambitions in Serie A and the Europa Conference League.
Sunday's 1-0 triumph over Torino, courtesy of Tammy Abraham's first-half goal, has established a four-point advantage over a group of four teams who occupy between sixth and ninth spot.
While Mourinho and the club's supporters will have one eye on the clubs above them, they recongise the importance of maintaining a lead over the likes of Juventus and Lazio.
With Inter Milan and Atalanta BC both to come by December 18, Mourinho will hope that Abraham can build on netting three times during his last two outings.
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As far as Bologna are concerned, they have enjoyed an encouraging season under Mihajlovic, collecting 21 points from their opening 14 matches.
The recent home defeat to Venezia was a considerable blow, but Sunday's late 1-0 triumph away at Spezia ensured that they kept within touching distance of the bigger clubs above them.
The biggest improvement has been in defence with just two goals being conceded in 360 minutes of football, considerable progress having shipped seven times in back-to-back defeats to AC Milan and Napoli.
An extra gear is required in the final third with just six players getting on the scoresheet this season, but Marko Arnautovic has now taken his tally to six strikes and an assist.
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Team News
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With Lorenzo Pellegrini suffering a thigh injury against Torino, Jordan Veretout should be recalled as a straight replacement after serving a one-match ban.
Mourinho may opt against using Nicolo Zaniolo for a second game in quick succession, with Carles Perez and Eldor Shomurodov acting as alternatives in the final third.
Matias Vina is also an option at left wing-back with Mourinho potentially wanting a more defensive-minded player to occupy that role for this match.
Less alterations are expected to be made to the Bologna XI with Mihajlovic having made full use of his substitutions during the closing stages at Spezia.
While Aaron Hickey, Gary Medel and Nicolas Dominguez are all one yellow card away from a ban, the trio should keep their places in the team.
Bologna possible starting lineup:
Skorupski; Soumaoro, Medel, Theate; Orsolini, Dominguez, Svanberg, Hickey; Soriano, Barrow; Arnautovic
Roma possible starting lineup:
Patricio; Mancini, Smalling, Ibanez; Karsdorp, Veretout, Diawara, Mkhitaryan, Vina; Shomurodov, Abraham
We say: Bologna 1-1 Roma
While Roma have consistently performed well at Stadio Olimpico this season, that has not always been the case away from home. With that in mind, we are going to predict a low-scoring draw, a result which may be regarded as satisfactory by both clubs.
Top tip
Data Analysis
Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Roma win with a probability of 43.83%. A win for Bologna had a probability of 32.79% and a draw had a probability of 23.4%.
The most likely scoreline for a Roma win was 1-2 with a probability of 8.99%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 0-1 (7.23%) and 0-2 (6.19%). The likeliest Bologna win was 2-1 (7.63%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (10.5%). The actual scoreline of 1-0 was predicted with a 6.1% likelihood.
