Bologna return to Serie A duty at the Dall'Ara on Monday looking to keep their impressive momentum going when Cremonese come to town. With European commitments now a regular part of their schedule, Vincenzo Italiano’s men are juggling league and continental ambitions, yet they continue to look full of energy and belief in front of their own supporters. The Rossoblu have been one of the division’s most consistent sides over the early months of the campaign and this fixture offers another chance to strengthen their position near the top of the table.

Their most recent outing at home brought a statement performance in Europe, as Bologna swept aside Salzburg with four goals and a barrage of 24 shots. That attacking display underlined the confidence coursing through the squad and maintained a long unbeaten streak that now stretches to 12 matches in all competitions. In Serie A, they have put together a run of six wins and three draws since their last league defeat back in mid-September away to AC Milan, tightening up defensively while still carrying plenty of threat in the final third.

A 3-0 victory over Udinese in Udine last week provided another reminder of their growing maturity, with Tommaso Pobega stepping up to score twice and highlight the depth in Bologna’s squad. Already this season, 11 different players have found the net for the Emilian club in the league, making them difficult to game-plan against; opponents cannot focus on shutting down just one or two obvious danger men. The flexibility to rotate without a significant drop in performance is a major asset as fixtures begin to pile up.

Cremonese arrive with more mixed feelings about their recent form. The Lombardy side have made an admirable start to life back in the top flight after promotion, showing enough resilience and organisation to stay well clear of the relegation zone so far. Early in the campaign they lost just one of their first nine Serie A outings, demonstrating that they can be competitive at this level and that Davide Nicola’s experience in survival battles is already paying off.

However, their momentum has stalled in recent weeks. Cremonese come into this game on the back of three straight league defeats, having fallen to Juventus, Pisa and Roma. The latest setback saw them beaten 3-1 at home by surprise leaders Roma, with Francesco Folino’s first top-flight goal offering little more than consolation. That result emphasised some of the defensive issues that have crept in of late, with the team struggling to contain sides that move the ball quickly in advanced areas.

History is not exactly on Cremonese’s side either. They have not celebrated a victory at the Dall'Ara for almost four decades, and while seven of the last nine league meetings between these clubs have ended in draws, the most recent clash brought a heavy 5-1 defeat that contributed to their relegation back to Serie B in May 2023. Returning to the scene of that loss will inevitably stir memories, even if Nicola will be keen to frame it as an opportunity to show how far his group has come since.

In terms of personnel, Bologna are likely to make several changes from their Europa League exertions, with the likes of Santiago Castro, Emil Holm and Nikola Moro pushing to start. Full-backs Lorenzo De Silvestri and Charalampos Lykogiannis are available again, while Riccardo Orsolini remains a key attacking reference after already scoring five Serie A goals and finding the net when these sides last met in 2023. Cremonese, meanwhile, are expected to lean on the experience of Federico Bonazzoli and Jamie Vardy in attack, with creative support from Franco Vazquez or Antonio Sanabria. A few fitness doubts linger on both sides, but the general expectation is that this will be a high-intensity contest, with Bologna trying to impose their proactive style and Cremonese looking to stay compact, manage the tempo and pick their moments to break. How well the visitors handle the pressure of long spells without the ball could go a long way to determining how competitive they can remain deep into the second half.