Juventus: 3 keys to victory against Bologna in the final match of the season

It all comes down to this for Juventus. They need to beat Bologna at the Renato Dall’Ara this Sunday night in order to qualify for the Champions League, and, even then, they’ll need a little help with either Napoli or Milan dropping points. Milan face Atalanta, so that’s the best path to Juve sneaking back into the top four. As it stands, they head into Matchday 38 in fifth.

Let’s take a look at the Bianconeri’s keys to victory this weekend in one final must-win match for Andrea Pirlo.

Juventus need to avoid getting gashed on transitions

Bologna are 11th in the table, but they are one of nine teams with at least 50 goals scored in Serie A this season. They can pose a threat offensively if an opponent is not careful, especially if they get breakaway chances.

Serie A veteran Rodrigo Palacio’s recent hat-trick is a reminder that he is still a threat. Former Atalanta man Musa Barrow is a very talented forward who has the quality to cause Juventus heartbreak if the defense is not constantly mindful of him.

And then there is former Juventus man Riccardo Orsolini With nine goal contributions this season, Orsolini would love nothing more than to play spoiler against his former employers.

Pirlo will try to control the game as his strategy for Juve, because they need the ball to score. Bologna will then look to catch Juve out on the break, with the Juve-linked Sinisa Mihajlovic anxious to “audition” for the gig by outclassing Il Maestro.