Serie A Week 36 Liveblog: Napoli vs. Bologna

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Join us for all the build-up and action as it happens from Serie A, as Napoli try to lock down second place by hosting Bologna.

It kicks off at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona at 19.45 UK time (20.45 CEST).

The Partenopei are starting to feel others breathing down their necks in the fight for Champions League football, so need a victory to be comfortable going into the final two rounds.

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Pessina is tested twice in quick succession with saves at the near post, first by Giovane and then Alisson Santos!

Orsolini cuts inside, he is blocked off, but it comes to Miranda for a strike that thumps the very top of the far post!

Bologna continue to keep a lot of the ball. Napoli fans getting irritated.

Bernardeschi give and go with Miranda down the left, looks up, picks his spot, and hits a ground to air missile into the far top corner with his left foot! That was ferocious…

Alisson Santos sends Gutierrez down the left this time, but he slips and can’t put in the cross.

Alisson Santos cuts inside from the left and shoots, charged down in the penalty area.

A lot of early Bologna possession, then Bernardeschi smashes one well over from distance.

Alisson Santos already down hurt after Orsolini crashed into him, but he’s fine, just a bit winded.

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

Di Lorenzo back for the first time since knee ligament injury on January 31, but De Bruyne out after a clash of heads in training left him with 4 stitches.

“When a game starts, you must try to bring home the victory and be better than your opponent. If you want to be competitive, you need the performance. We have three games left to honour and an opponent like this requires the utmost attention.

“It is not always easy to keep surprising and doing amazing things. After the Europa League elimination and stuttering a little in Serie A, there was some disappointment around us, and we have to accept that, but we did do some good things this season.

“Rowe had a nasty knock to his foot against Cagliari and wasn’t able to train that well, so we’ll see if he can come off the bench.”

Scott McTominay claims the return of Napoli defender Giovanni Di Lorenzo against Bologna is crucial. ‘He’s one of the best captains I’ve experienced, to be honest.’

Antonio Conte reveals a nasty incident in training ruled Kevin De Bruyne out of tonight’s game with Napoli and sent him to hospital. ‘There’s no head trauma, but he needed four stitches.’

“De Bruyne had basically a collision in training, a clash of heads, his cheekbone split open, he had four stitches and tests. There is no head trauma, but he’s still not in great shape,” Conte told DAZN Italia.

It is now official that the entire Serie A Week 37 calendar will be played on Sunday, including five games kicking off at 11.30 UK time (12.30 CEST) including Roma-Lazio, Genoa-Milan and Juventus-Fiorentina.

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.

Napoli: Milinkovic-Savic; Di Lorenzo, Rrahmani, Buongiorno; Politano, Lobotka, McTominay, Gutierrez; Giovane, Hojlund, Alisson