Bologna’s surprise CL bid tested by rampaging Inter Messi, Suarez on target as Miami fight back to salvage draw against Nashville Benitez returns to Bernabeu as La Liga leaders Real face Celta
MILAN: Bologna’s dream bid for Champions League football comes up against their biggest challenge yet on Saturday when Serie A’s champions-elect Inter Milan come to town.
A run of six straight wins has built a four-point buffer between Bologna and Roma, the closest pretenders to their fourth spot in Italy’s top flight.
But on Saturday Thiago Mota’s surprise package take on the only team in the league in hoter form as Inter have won all 12 matches they have played in 2024.
Bologna are founder members of Italy’s national championship and seven-time league winners, but their most recent Scudeto came in 1964, when they also played their one and only tie in the old European Cup.
They fell to Anderlecht on a coin toss following a 2-2 aggregate draw and since then their only deep run in a European competition came when they were beaten by Marseille in the semi-finals of the UEFA Cup 25 years ago.
Bologna qualified for that year’s tournament thanks their last trophy, the 1998 Intertoto Cup, and since then it has been slim pickings for the northern Italian oufit.
Last year’s ninth place was the highest Bologna had finished in Serie A for over a decade as other mid-ranking clubs like Udinese, Atalanta and Sampdoria had their days in the sun.
But Bologna are on course to claim their highest finish since finishing third in 1967 as they welcome Inter, who defend a whopping 15-point lead over Juventus ahead of their Champions League last 16 decider at Atletico Madrid.
As reward Mota will be handed the Serie A coach of the month trophy before the match, a sign of just how good his team were in February with Inter on the rampage.
Inter should welcome back starters Alessandro Bastoni, Francesco Acerbi and above all Marcus Thuram for Sunday’s clash against the only team to beat Simone Inzaghi’s side in any competition since the end of September.
Italian League fixtures (all times GMT) Saturday: Cagliari v Salernitana, Sassuolo v Frosinone (both 1400), Bologna v Inter Milan (1700). Genoa v Monza (1945)
Sunday: Lecce v Verona (1130), AC Milan v Empoli (1400), Juventus v Atalanta (1700), Fiorentina v Roma (1945)
Monday: Lazio v Udinese (1945)
LOS ANGELES: Luis Suarez grabbed a stoppagetime equaliser ater Lionel Messi had reduced the deficit as Inter Miami fought back from two goals down to draw 2-2 in the first leg of their CONCACAF Champions Cup round-of-16 tie on Thursday.
Canadian winger Jacob Shaffelburg had put Nashville 2-0 up with a pair of superbly taken goals before Miami’s comeback.
The goals from the former Barcelona forwards, who had scored a brace each in the 5-0 win over Orlando on Saturday, make Miami favourites for Wednesday’s return in South Florida with a place in the quarter-finals on the line.
Miami had beaten Nashville on penalties in the final of the Leagues Cup last season and returned for the debuts in CONCACAF regional competition of Messi, Busquets and Suarez.
Coach Gerardo ‘Tata’ Martino handed a debut to new Argentine signing Federico Redondo in midfield but was without Spaniard Jordi Alba, suffering from illness.
But Miami were soon reeling ater Nashville’s Shaq Moore broke through from midfield and fed Shaffelburg who blasted past Drake Callender with a let-foot drive from the edge of the box.
The Canadian, with the distinctive mullet haircut, doubled the lead two minutes ater the interval with an even beter finish, cuting in from the let before unleashing an unstoppable shot with his right foot high into the far top corner.
Miami responded strongly though and six minutes later Messi had pulled a goal back with a trademark let-footed curler.
Suarez set him up on the edge of the box and despite having four defenders in close proximity, the Argentine World Cup-winner found space to work the ball on to his let foot and then find the corner.
SUAREZ EQUALISER: Miami had an effort from Diego Gomez disallowed for offside but Nashville weren’t ready to set their backs against the wall just yet.
Moore cut in from the right and beat Callender to send the 30,109 crowd wild but a VAR review found that Moore had been narrowly offside from earlier in the move and the goal was disallowed.
But then deep in stoppage time, the ball was fed out to Busquets on the right and the Spanish veteran floated in a cross which was headed home by Suarez.
“It leaves us in a good position for the second 90 minutes, which are going to be as tough as today and the other games we have played with Nashville,” said Martino.
BARCELONA: La Liga leaders Real Madrid face former coach Rafa Benitez and his struggling Celta Vigo side on Sunday as they bid to get back on track ater last weekend’s draw at Valencia.
Los Blancos not only dropped two points but had key player Jude Bellingham sent off and he will miss two league games, including Celta’s visit to the Santiago Bernabeu.
Madrid also played badly in a 1-1 draw against RB Leipzig in the Champions League on Wednesday, but it was enough to see them through to the quarter-finals 2-1 on aggregate.
Despite the Valencia draw, Madrid’s closest title challengers Girona could not capitalise and fell to a 1-0 defeat by Copa del Rey finalists Real Mallorca.
The Catalans have run out of steam in recent weeks, suffering three defeats and a draw in their last five matches.
Carlo Anceloti’s side are still without long-term absentees Thibaut Courtois, David Alaba and Eder Militao, along with the suspended Bellingham.
Brahim Diaz replaced the England international in the first-leg win against Leipzig when he had an ankle injury and the playmaker scored, while Joselu has also been in good form for Los Blancos.
Anceloti did not select either in the second leg and admited he got his line-up wrong by loading the midfield.
“Maybe I made a mistake, I was trying to put energy in, but that was what we didn’t have,” said the coach.
He will likely select a far more atacking side against Benitez’s Celta, fighting for their lives ater a difficult start to the season. They cannot afford to roll over for the Spanish giants.
The Galicians are 17th, five points clear of the relegation zone and held their own against Barcelona in February, denied a point only by a 97th-minute Robert Lewandowski penalty.
Despite some decent performances, pressure has been mounting on Benitez with some Celta fans calling for his removal.
Fixtures (all times GMT)
Saturday: Valencia vs Getafe (1300), Cadiz vs Atletico Madrid (1515), Granada vs Real Sociedad (1730), Girona vs Osasuna (2000)
Sunday: Alaves vs Rayo Vallecano (1300), Las Palmas vs Athletic Bilbao (1515), Real Madrid vs Celta Vigo (1730), Real Betis vs Villarreal (2000) Monday: Almeria vs Sevilla (2000)