Fresh from stunning AC Milan at San Siro, in-form Bologna welcome 16th-placed Monza to the Stadio Renato Dall'Ara on Saturday, aiming to claim their fourth victory under Raffaele Palladino.

Samuel Mbangula was the hero as the Rossoblu ended Ruben Amorim's unbeaten league start and climbed to 11th in the Serie A table, and they now seek another triumph that could lift them into the division's top half.

Match preview

Emanuele Giaccherini was the match-winner when Bologna last defeated Milan at San Siro in January 2016, a feat they had to wait another decade to repeat.

This time, Mbangula netted a historic hat-trick to continue Palladino's strong start since replacing Domenico Tedesco in mid-September, having played out a 1-1 draw with Torino in the erstwhile Monza manager's bow.

Although that point extended the Felsinei's winless run to five matches after three defeats at the start of the season, the Rossoblu have since collected nine points from four games to climb to 11th in the table.

The standout statistic is that all their victories have come away from home: 2-1 at Lecce, 2-0 at Cagliari and 4-2 at Milan, while the Emilia-Romagna outfit lost their only home match under the new boss.

However, that 3-1 defeat came against reigning league champions Inter Milan, so it should not be held against the new boss, who aims to beat his old side at the Dall'Ara this weekend.

As such, it will be intriguing to see whether Monza can exploit any complacency following the home side's outstanding midweek success in Milan and end their own losing run.

Ivan Juric's men gave a good account of themselves during the opening 45 minutes against Napoli, with Gustavo Varela scoring his eighth Serie A goal of the campaign just before the break to raise belief among the Biancorossi supporters.

However, as Juric noted after the match, the Brianzoli collapsed following the interval, even if the former Torino boss drew encouragement from the opening part of their eventual 4-1 defeat.

Other midweek results largely went their way, meaning that Monza remain just outside the bottom three in 16th place and two points ahead of Parma, who could only draw 0-0 with 17th-placed Udinese earlier in the week.

Juric's men give themselves a chance with their all-or-nothing approach, which has produced 16 goals, more than every other bottom-half club, but they have conceded a league-high 22 to undermine much of their good work in attack.

A seventh defeat this weekend could see the Lombardy outfit slip into the relegation zone, an ominous outcome even at this early stage of the campaign.

Bologna Serie A form:

Monza Serie A form:

Team News

Bologna's results have been admirable given their ongoing injury concerns: Lorenzo De Silvestri (muscle) and Jay Enem (Achilles) are doubtful and will be assessed, while Riccardo Orsolini (thigh), Emil Holm (thigh) and Roberto Piccoli (hamstring) are sidelined.

Despite his hat-trick on Wednesday, Mbangula is not guaranteed to start, as Nicolo Cambiaghi and Federico Bernardeschi are expected to occupy the inside-forward positions behind Jens Odgaard up front.

Juan Miranda has yet to score this season, but his four assists underline the full-back's value as a creator and his ability to unlock defences from wide areas.

The away side's leading threat is undoubtedly Varela, with the Monza forward's eight goals placing him one ahead of Donyell Malen and Antonio Raimondo, who have seven apiece, in the Capocannoniere race.

Michael Folorunsho could return to the Monza squad after missing Wednesday's match against Napoli, as could Yvan Maye; Jan Ziolkowski and Matteo Pessina (knee), though, are ruled out.

Bologna possible starting lineup:

Skorupski; Darmian, Casale, Theate; Zortea, Ferguson, Pobega, Miranda; Bernardeschi, Cambiaghi; Odgaard

Monza possible starting lineup:

Tornqvist; Kouadio, Goglichidze, Carboni; Birindelli, Ondoa, Akinsanmiro, Mangas; Mota, Robinson; Varela

We say: Bologna 3-1 Monza

Monza's 16-goal return demonstrates that they carry a genuine attacking threat, but conceding a league-high 22 leaves them ill-equipped to control matches against improving opponents.

Bologna should capitalise on those defensive frailties and follow their memorable San Siro triumph with a convincing first home win of the campaign.

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