Bologna

Bologna

Bologna face a relentless stretch of fixtures against Serie A's heavyweights. Six consecutive matches pit them against Inter, Juventus and AC Milan - three clubs that have dominated Italian football in recent seasons.

The fixture list offers little respite. Bologna will host AC Milan and Juventus at the Stadio Renato Dall'Ara, then travel to the San Siro twice to face both Inter and Milan. They also visit Juventus's Allianz Stadium and make the trip to Inter's home ground. These are the matches that define a season for mid-table sides: opportunities to prove themselves against the elite, but also stretches where dropped points accumulate quickly.

The scheduling is unforgiving. Back-to-back away visits to San Siro and Turin will test their depth and resilience. Home advantage at the Dall'Ara becomes precious in this sequence - two matches there against Milan and Juventus represent chances to bank points against sides they might realistically compete with.

How Bologna navigate this gauntlet will say much about their ambitions this season. A team that can take points from even two of these six matches will have earned genuine credit. One that struggles across the board faces the risk of falling into a rut against the division's top tier. The next month or so will be defining.