Bologna welcome Monza to the Dall'Ara on 31 October 2026 in a Serie A fixture that pits two sides with very different problems against each other. Sitting 11th with 11 points from nine matches, they are still chasing their first home win of the season, whereas Monza, 16th on seven points, remain deep in relegation trouble. Bologna arrive riding high after a 4-2 win at AC Milan on 28 October, while Monza come in having been thumped 4-1 by Napoli the same evening. No head to head data exists between Raffaele Palladino and Ivan Juric, who took charge at Bologna on 16 September 2026 and Monza on 1 July 2026 respectively, both inheriting clubs with clear problems to fix.
Bologna's last five Serie A outings read W-W-L-W-D: wins over Cagliari and Lecce, a defeat to Inter, a draw with Torino and then a 4-2 thrashing of Milan. Losing to Inter and then putting four past Milan suggests bad results do not carry over for them. Monza's sequence is messier at L-L-W-L-W, with heavy defeats at Napoli and Lazio bookending wins over Cagliari and Sassuolo and a loss at Torino and that inconsistency gets worse away from home.
Bologna are without several players through thigh and hamstring injuries, with wide areas taking the biggest hit, though Samuel Mbangula's hat trick at San Siro suggests the squad has the cover where it matters most. Monza's problems are arguably more damaging: Matteo Pessina is ruled out with a knee injury, Jan Ziolkowski misses the trip with foot and knee problems and both Michael Folorunsho and Yvan Maye are doubts. Monza already concede freely, without Pessina in midfield there is nothing to slow that down.
Bologna work in a fluid 3-4-3 shape, with Lewis Ferguson anchoring centrally, Bernardeschi dropping deep to create and Mbangula, who just scored three at San Siro, leading the attack. The absences on the right flank are a concern but central compactness should still give Ferguson the space to control the ball without being pressed and Bernardeschi's delivery from set pieces becomes more important than usual precisely because of those wide gaps. Monza under Juric press aggressively and look to counter at pace, which can be effective but comes at a cost given they have conceded more goals than any other side in the league. Gustavo Varela leads their attack with seven Serie A goals already and is their main danger, supported by Mota, Robinson and Ngonge, though losing Pessina and probably Folorunsho and Maye makes sustaining that press very difficult and once Bologna's midfield gets on top Monza tend to come apart. The key battles are Varela against Bologna's centre backs and Ferguson against whatever Monza can assemble in midfield: Mbangula's runs in behind should find room against a back line that pushes up and has been caught repeatedly this season, while Bologna's wide players should get in behind Monza's high line, which has conceded more than anyone else in Serie A this season.
Bologna have won the last three meetings including a 3-1 home victory in the previous fixture and lead the overall record four wins to one. Bologna are in better form and need the points to climb the table, with the crowd behind them after the San Siro result. Monza need something to ease the drop zone anxiety but their away form and the size of the momentum gap make it hard to see where that result comes from.
Bologna should win this 2-1. Mbangula's form and Ferguson's control in midfield give them enough to overcome Monza's press and they have won all three recent meetings at the Dall'Ara, including 3-1 last time out. Varela's seven league goals this season mean he is likely to get a sight of goal on the counter but Monza's defensive frailties are too pronounced for them to hold out.
Ryan Baldi
Football Writer
Ryan Baldi is a professional football writer with years of experience and has been featured by respected outlets such as the BBC, The Guardian, Sky Sports, DAZN, FourFourTwo, ESPN, Yahoo Sport and Football365. He has also written several books including Arsène Who?.
