Ranieri: ‘Roma will be great in Bologna, Dovbyk is adapting’

Claudio Ranieri is confident Roma will ‘have a great performance’ against Bologna and trusts Artem Dovbyk will adapt to Serie A very soon.

It kicks off at the Stadio Dall’Ara at 17.00 GMT.

You can follow all the build-up and action as it happens from today’s four Serie A games on the Liveblog.

The Giallorossi are hoping to ride the wave of enthusiasm following their 2-0 victory in the Derby della Capitale against arch rivals Lazio.

Lorenzo Pellegrini scored in that match and is confirmed in the starting XI this evening with Paulo Dybala and Artem Dovbyk.

Ranieri has faith in revitalised Roma

“I know that we will have a great performance against a very strong team,” Ranieri told DAZN.

“Vincenzo Italiano ensures this Bologna side plays with grit and they keep everything tight. I am convinced we will do well today.”

While Paulo Dybala and even Pellegrini are scoring, Artem Dovbyk has struggled to recreate the form that made him top scorer in LaLiga last season.

“I believe he is improving game by game,” insisted Ranieri.

“There are inevitably some tactical difficulties when first moving to Italian football. We are getting him involved and he is working hard in training too.”

This weekend marks the start of the second half of the 2024-25 season, so can Roma transform their campaign under Ranieri?

“The points dropped in the first half are gone now, so we have to look to the future. These lads have quality, we need to add more motivation and determination, starting from this match.

“These players all work hard and deserve to be picked, so it is the best thing for a coach when they make it difficult for you to choose the starting XI.”