Bologna coach Raffaele Palladino previewed Saturday’s away game against Parma at the Tardini, where kick-off is set for 18:00 CET. Bologna have 14 points ahead of the fixture.
Invitation for Antonelli
Palladino opened his pre-match press conference by congratulating Mercedes driver and Formula 1 world champion Kimi Antonelli. He said: “I wanted to open the press conference by congratulating Kimi Antonelli, because it’s only right. He’s one of Bologna’s excellences, and we’re all happy”
Palladino added: “I’d love for him to come and visit us at the training ground and the stadium. It’s right to congratulate a great champion.”
Bologna’s winning run
Bologna have won three straight games, beating Cagliari, Milan 4-2 and Monza.
Palladino said: “A month ago we weren’t bad, and today we haven’t become phenomenal. We have to be balanced in our judgements”
Palladino’s Parma memories
Palladino was in the Parma squad when the club went bankrupt in 2015.
He said: “It was a beautiful and formative experience. We got as far as Europe, then unfortunately there was the bankruptcy, a bad page in Italian football”
He also said: “We felt almost abandoned by everyone, and it was sad to see people not getting paid.”
Parma won 3-0 at Atalanta.
Availability and long-term plans
Artem Dovbyk, Roberto Piccoli and Mikkel Odgaard are available for Bologna, while Jay Enem is close to returning. Lorenzo De Silvestri and Emil Holm are still out.
Palladino replaced Domenico Tedesco as Bologna coach in September. Asked about January, he said: “It’s early for the transfer market, but I believe in this group. When the time comes, I’ll speak to the club, as is right. I came here to build a long-term project.”
