Bologna aims to translate their Serie A success into the Europa League as they prepare to face RB Salzburg with Federico Bernardeschi and Thijs Dallinga leading the charge.
The match is set to begin at the Stadio Dall’Ara at 20:00 GMT.
BIRMINGHAM, ENGLAND – SEPTEMBER 25: Bologna FC 1909 Head Coach Vincenzo Italiano observes the UEFA Europa League match against Aston Villa FC at Villa Park on September 25, 2025. (Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)
The Rossoblu enter this fixture with strong momentum, having secured three consecutive victories and maintaining an unbeaten run in nine matches.
However, their Europa League campaign has faltered; following a narrow loss to Aston Villa, they managed a win against Steaua Bucharest but were left disappointed with draws against Freiburg and SK Brann.
In the latter match, they played with ten men for more than an hour, which has led to Charalampos Lykogiannis being suspended, while Ciro Immobile, Lukasz Skorupski, Jonathan Rowe, Remo Freuler, and Nicolò Cambiaghi are all dealing with injuries.
Dallinga and Bernardeschi are slated to lead the attack alongside Riccardo Orsolini.
epa12114986 Bologna’s Thijs Dallinga (L) celebrates with teammates after scoring during the Serie A match against ACF Fiorentina on May 18, 2025, in Florence, Italy. EPA-EFE/CLAUDIO GIOVANNINI
RB Salzburg experienced a rocky start in the Europa League, losing their first three matches against FC Porto, Olympique Lyonnais, and Ferencvaros, before securing a 2-0 victory against Go Ahead Eagles.
Domestically, they’ve struggled as well, earning just one point from their last two outings, although they remain atop the Austrian Bundesliga standings.
The team’s injury woes include Lucas Gourna-Douath, Karim Onisiwo, Takumu Kawamura, Justin Omoregie, Christian Zawieschitzky, John Mellberg, and long-term casualty Karim Konaté.
Notable players in the squad include former Fiorentina defender Aleksa Terzic and ex-Roma midfielder Gourna-Douath, while Yorbe Vertessen will be a player to watch after scoring in his last two Europa League outings.
Bologna vs. RB Salzburg Line-ups
Bologna: Ravaglia; Zortea, Lucumi, Heggem, Miranda; Ferguson, Pobega; Orsolini, Odgaard, Bernardeschi; Dallinga
Bologna Bench: Pessina, Franceschelli, Holm, Moro, Castro, Casale, Dominguez, Vitik, Fabbian
RB Salzburg: A Schlagher; Lainer, Gadou, Rasmussen, Terzic; Yeo, Bidstrup, Diabate, Bischoff; Baidoo, Vertessen
Salzburg Bench: Hamzic, Kratzig, Diambou, Konate, Ratkov, Lukic, Alajbegovic, Trummer, Aguilar, Schuster
Referee: Pajac (CRO)