NAPLES, May 11, 2026, 20:10 CEST
Kevin De Bruyne didn’t make Napoli’s starting XI for Monday’s Serie A clash with Bologna, ruled out by a fitness issue just under an hour before kickoff. Sky Sport Italia flagged the Belgian’s late problem, and Radio Kiss Kiss tipped Giovane to slot into the front line alongside Rasmus Hojlund and Alisson Santos, leaving Antonio Conte without his main architect.
Awkward timing for Napoli, sitting second with 70 points as the night started—just two in front of Juventus, three up on both AC Milan and AS Roma. The Champions League remains up for grabs, but Inter Milan have already pulled away at the summit.
Kickoff’s set for 20:45 CEST at Naples’ Stadio Diego Armando Maradona. According to Sofascore, it’s a Serie A Round 36 matchup. Napoli heads in sitting second, Bologna in 10th.
Conte finally had a key piece return. Giovanni Di Lorenzo, sidelined since a knee ligament injury at Fiorentina on Jan. 31, showed up in Napoli’s back three, per Football Italia’s official line-ups. In the middle: Scott McTominay and Stanislav Lobotka. Attackers listed were Giovane, Hojlund, and Alisson. Bologna opted for Santiago Castro as their striker, flanked by Riccardo Orsolini and Federico Bernardeschi.
Bologna haven’t found the net in three straight Serie A games—Cagliari, Roma, Juventus—but they’re not exactly toothless. According to FotMob, Vincenzo Italiano’s men come in goalless but with a pulse. Napoli’s last three: a scoreless draw with Como, thrashed Cremonese 4-0, then dropped 0-2 at home against Lazio.
Napoli can’t afford to ignore the warning signs. According to 365Scores, Bologna knocked them off 2-0 in Serie A back on Nov. 9. Napoli did return the favor with their own 2-0 victory in the Supercoppa Italiana on Dec. 22, but that back-and-forth keeps this fixture from looking like a safe bet for the home side.
Juventus wasted no time turning up the heat. Dusan Vlahovic found the net just 10 seconds in as Juve edged Lecce 1-0 on Saturday. The Serbian striker, speaking with Sky Sport Italia, insisted the team “absolutely must win the remaining two games.” Reuters
Milan, for their part, are feeling the pressure too, but their momentum has stalled. According to Reuters on Monday, Massimiliano Allegri’s men slipped to fourth following a 3-2 loss at home to Atalanta. That puts them level on points with Roma. Allegri admitted the Champions League place “was not locked down.” Reuters
Napoli knows the math—three points puts them at 73 and hands Conte’s squad some breathing room heading into the last two matches. Anything less, and suddenly Juventus, Milan, and Roma are back in play. With De Bruyne missing, the focus shifts to whether Napoli can generate enough chances against a Bologna lineup that usually turns this matchup into a grind.
Coverage for Monday night’s Serie A clash stretches wide. According to Football Italia, viewers in the UK and Ireland can tune in via BBC Alba, BBC iPlayer, the BBC Sport website, or DAZN. The outlet is also running live updates through its liveblog.
