After four-goal wins at the weekend, Bologna and Fiorentina meet for their postponed Serie A fixture on Wednesday, at Stadio Renato Dall'Ara.
The Derby dell'Appennino takes place with the hosts two points above their Tuscan counterparts in the standings - and both are intent on a top-six finish.
Match preview
A week after staging a superb comeback to beat regional rivals Sassuolo, preserving Bologna's unbeaten run at Stadio Dall'Ara in the process, the resurgent Rossoblu stepped up another gear on Sunday, when they brushed Lecce aside.
Two goals in either half, including a brace for Riccardo Orsolini, helped the Emilian club record nine wins from their first 12 Serie A home games for the first time since 1973, as well as taking them up to fifth in the table.
In all, Bologna are undefeated at the Dall'Ara in 11 league matches - their best such run for over 30 years - and after overcoming a worrying new-year wobble, they remain contenders for European qualification.
A quirk of the fixture list, which arose due to Fiorentina's involvement in last month's Supercoppa Italiana, means that Wednesday's delayed fixture will be the Rossoblu's third straight home game.
Defeat, though, would not only see their proud streak ended in the Derby dell'Appennino - against foes from the other side of the Apennine Mountains - but also see Thiago Motta's men overtaken by a close rival for a cherished top-six finish.
When Fiorentina won November's reverse fixture 2-1 in Florence, that sparked a fine run of form that saw them both progress in Europe and steadily climb the Serie A standings.
However, a slow start to 2024 saw the Viola beaten by Napoli in the Supercoppa semi-finals and slipping back down the table, with the only highlight being their penalty-shootout victory over Bologna in the Coppa Italia, following a 0-0 draw at Stadio Franchi.
Picking up just one point from four games left Fiorentina looking up at several sides that had overtaken them, but they took their frustration out on free-falling Frosinone last weekend, when Andrea Belotti scored for the first time since signing on loan from Roma and Jonathan Ikone finally ended his season-long goal drought.
The Tuscan club's comprehensive 5-1 win was their first of the year - excepting that spot-kick success against Bologna - and put dreams of reaching the Champions League back on track: they trail fourth-placed Atalanta BC by five points.
Also in contention to go one step further than last year's final defeat in the Europa Conference League - and set to meet Atalanta in the Coppa Italia semi-finals - Vincenzo Italiano's will certainly be kept busy in the weeks ahead. First, though, a rivalry dating back to 1931 must be revisited in Emilia-Romagna.
Team News
Though midfield regular Michel Aebischer is back from suspension, Bologna boss Thiago Motta may yet keep faith in the XI that started Sunday's win over Frosinone.
Adama Soumaoro remains Motta's only injury absentee, while Swiss winger Dan Ndoye and Danish forward Jens Odgaard - the latter of whom scored as a substitute last weekend - are among several players pushing for promotion from the bench.
Fiorentina, meanwhile, will have Luca Ranieri back from a one-match ban, but Gaetano Castrovilli and Dodo are still sidelined by injury; AFCON-winner Christian Kouame is unlikely to return from Ivory Coast in time to feature.
Nico Gonzalez was drafted back into the Viola's starting lineup last week - ending a two-month wait for a goal and recording his seventh Serie A strike of the season - and should play an integral role in the visitors' forward line.
It remains to be seen whether Vincenzo Italiano will continue with Lucas Beltran in a supporting role behind Andrea Belotti; alternatively, either Giacomo Bonaventura or Antonin Barak could step in, with Beltran or Belotti ploughing a lone furrow up front.
Bologna possible starting lineup:
Skorupski; Posch, Beukema, Calafiori, Kristiansen; Freuler, Aebischer; Orsolini, Ferguson, Fabbian; Zirkzee
Fiorentina possible starting lineup:
Terracciano; Kayode, Milenkovic, Ranieri, Biraghi; Duncan, Arthur; Gonzalez, Bonaventura, Ikone; Belotti
We say: Bologna 1-1 Fiorentina
Fiorentina may not complete a hat-trick of wins over Bologna this season, as the Rossoblu are resilient on home soil and seem to have re-found their groove. As a result, the Viola will stay two points behind their old rivals in a fascinating race for European places.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
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