Bologna host Torino at the Stadio Renato Dall'Ara on 19 September 2026 in a Serie A Matchday 5 fixture that both sides arrive at desperate for points. Bologna are 16th with just one point from four matches and turned to Raffaele Palladino, appointed just three days before this game, while Torino are 14th with three points and a single win in their opening four. Neither side has been able to turn possession into goals with any consistency and neither Palladino nor Torino's Ignazio Abate, who replaced Roberto D'Aversa on 12 June 2026, has faced the other in a competitive match, so both benches are starting cold.
Bologna come into this without a win in their last four, posting a 2-2 draw against Sassuolo before suffering 0-1 defeats to Lazio, Atalanta and Napoli, with two goals in four games representing a problem Palladino needs to fix before anything else. Torino's form is barely better: their only points came from a 0-2 win over Roma on 14 September bookended by three losses and while they have kept games tight defensively, they record the fewest touches in the opposition box in Serie A.
Palladino inherits a squad with significant holes. Riccardo Orsolini and Artem Dovbyk are both out with longer term injuries and Oussama El Azzouzi is listed as doubtful, leaving Palladino without his first choice right winger and with a midfield three that has no established back up for El Azzouzi's role. Torino are without Che Adams, sidelined with a thigh strain, while Cesare Casadei remains doubtful and may only be passed fit at the last moment. Adams' absence leaves Abate with no natural finisher and forces Simeone to do more of the hold up work he is less comfortable with.
Bologna played with a back three under the previous regime and Palladino will likely keep that shape but push for quicker transitions. Lewis Ferguson is the engine in midfield, responsible for both defensive cover and getting the ball forward to Federico Bernardeschi, who is the creative outlet from advanced positions. Roberto Piccoli is the lone striker and without Orsolini stretching the line wide, he will need to hold up much more and trust the full backs to supply the width instead.
Torino set up in a compact 3-5-2 or 3-5-1-1 prioritising defensive solidity and looking to counter quickly. Nikola Vlasic is their creator behind the striker, trying to exploit gaps in Bologna's press, while Giovanni Simeone is Torino's main striker, with Rolando Mandragora screening the defence and feeding Vlasic from deeper. The danger in Adams' absence has to come through Simeone's movement and Vlasic arriving late rather than anything aerial.
The Ferguson-Mandragora duel is where this game gets decided. If Ferguson can win the physical contest and release Bernardeschi or Piccoli quickly, Bologna should control territory, whereas if Mandragora does his job and protects the defence, Torino can absorb pressure and release Simeone into space behind Bologna's advancing full backs. Orsolini's absence compounds the problem for the hosts in an indirect way: without him, the right channel has no one to run in behind, which means Torino's left wing back can push higher without much defensive risk, though Abate's side still has to find a way to generate more touches in the box if the goal tally is to improve.
Bologna are unbeaten in their last ten home Serie A meetings with Torino, four wins and six draws and that run matters more than usual for a new manager who needs an early result. Set pieces could be decisive in that context, particularly with Piccoli in the box when Bernardeschi delivers from wide, while Torino will miss Adams' aerial presence defending those same situations. Both teams are vulnerable in transition, so midfield second balls are likely to open things up, with Bologna's need for a win adding urgency to their approach and Torino looking for more attacking output without surrendering the defensive organisation that has at least kept most matches close.
Bologna 2-1. Palladino's arrival should give the attack more structure as Ferguson feeds Bernardeschi in the channels and Piccoli creates space for runners from deep and the home unbeaten record against Torino is another reason to back the hosts. Torino will be dangerous on the counter through Vlasic and Simeone but Adams' absence blunts them considerably and Casadei remaining doubtful adds another selection problem for Abate. Bologna are the likelier side to create through Ferguson's distribution and Bernardeschi's movement, while Torino's goal is more likely to come from a swift counter than sustained pressure. Neither side has scored more than once in a single game this season, which makes a one goal margin the most likely scenario regardless of who wins.
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?.
