Palladino Invites Kimi Antonelli to Bologna

Bologna head coach Raffaele Palladino opened his pre-match press conference by congratulating Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli. Reminding everyone that Antonelli, a lifelong Bologna supporter, became the youngest world champion in F1 history, Palladino said he had invited the young driver to the training ground and the stadium.

Palladino said Bologna had turned their season around since he replaced Domenico Tedesco in September. The team, which reached 14 points with wins over Cagliari, Milan (4-2) and Monza at home, has now won three matches in a row. Palladino, however, stressed the need to avoid hasty judgments. In his view, they were not bad a month ago and are not at an outstanding level today. Expressing optimism about the future, the head coach said defeats and difficult moments would come, and that they would need to stay balanced during those periods too.

The match on Saturday at 18.00 (17.00 Turkey time) at the Tardini carries special meaning for Palladino. The head coach, who scored Parma's 1000th Serie A goal, was in the squad in 2015 when the club went bankrupt. Describing that experience as both beautiful and instructive, Palladino explained that the team had reached Europe, but bankruptcy brought it to an end.

Palladino warned that Parma, who beat Atalanta 3-0, could be dangerous. Saying the opponent had found balance and solidity, he noted that the match would be a test of maturity for his team. Artem Dovbyk, Roberto Piccoli and Mikkel Odgaard are available. Jay Enem is reported to be close to returning, while Lorenzo De Silvestri and Emil Holm are still injured. Asked about the January transfer window, Palladino said it was still too early for the transfer market, but that he believed in this group and had come to build a long-term project.