Bet365 Predictions for Today’s Football Matches

• The international break came at the perfect time for Como, a team that has had a difficult start to life back in Italy’s top league after 21 years away. After failing to win any of their first three matches, with one draw and two losses, Cesc Fábregas’ men sit at the bottom of the table. Their most recent disappointment was a 1-0 defeat to Udinese, despite having more possession and shots on goal.
• Unsurprisingly, Fábregas defended his team after the result, stating that they “dominated the entire match.” However, if Como wants to gain points in the near future, their performances will need to improve. With only one goal scored and no clean sheet in this league campaign, they need to find a way to produce a positive result in their first Serie A match of the season.
• The team’s boss may find some encouragement from their positive head-to-head record against Bologna, with a total of eight wins, five draws, and five losses in previous matches. The last time they faced each other in Serie A was in 2002-2003, where Bologna won 5-1. However, the visitors could ill-afford any repeat of that result after their own disastrous start to the season left them in the drop zone alongside Como.
• Despite a 3-0 defeat to Napoli in their only previous away trip of the season, Vincenzo Italiano, the team’s manager, will need to correct their course sooner rather than later. The team’s players, including striker Patrick Cutrone, who has scored both of Como’s goals so far this season, will be key to their success. Cutrone has never previously scored in six meetings with Bologna, but he does have an unbeaten head-to-head record (W5, D1).
• Giovanni Fabbian, a player from Bologna, scored within two minutes against Empoli before the international break. This was the fourth time in six scoring appearances that he has netted the match opener.
• A hot stat to consider is that Como has conceded four first-half goals from their three Serie A games this season, more than any other team in the division.

Prediction: Over 1.5 Goals | Average odds: 1.37 | Bookmaker: Bet365