Torino travel to Bologna knowing that the final match before a long break can shape the mood around the club for weeks. Ignazio Abate wants his side to take a positive result from Emilia, not merely for the table but to give his players greater calm and belief in the work ahead.
Key takeaways
- Torino face Bologna after the home side appointed Raffaele Palladino as coach during the week.
- Cesare Casadei returns to the squad after injury but is expected to be fully available only after the break.
- Che Adams is unavailable through injury, while Duván Zapata is still building match sharpness.
- Abate defended goalkeeper Perri after recent mistakes against Fiorentina and Roma.
- Bragança could be handed a starting place after improving his physical condition.
A demanding afternoon in Emilia
Abate expects the change on Bologna’s bench to add another layer to an already difficult away fixture. He noted that players commonly respond to a new coach by finding an extra level, and described Bologna as a side with considerable quality.
“It will be an intense and difficult game,” Abate said. “We will have to be fierce as well if we are to return home with a positive result.”
The Torino coach has placed considerable importance on reducing the individual errors that have hurt his side in recent weeks. Perri has been under scrutiny following costly moments in the matches against Fiorentina and Roma, but Abate made clear that public criticism of the Brazilian goalkeeper had gone too far.
“He knows himself that he made mistakes,” Abate said. “But this is the time when I put my arms around my players and give them even more confidence.”
He believes Torino’s defensive collective is becoming more solid, while insisting that avoidable lapses must disappear. The balance he seeks in Bologna is simple: keep the opposition out and score one more than them.
Faith in the project and the attacking options
Abate remains committed to a footballing project he considers ambitious and representative of his own ideas. He said the squad understands that its level must rise, particularly because Torino cannot repeatedly fall behind through individual, even basic, mistakes.
He also sought to protect the group from wider criticism. “If there are attacks to be made at this moment, they should be directed at me, not the players,” he said, adding that his confidence in the squad has increased with every day he has spent working with them.
Casadei will make the trip and take a place on the bench following his injury lay-off, although Abate does not expect him to be at full disposal until after the stoppage. Adams, however, misses out.
In attack, Abate reported encouraging conditions among the available players. Zapata is behind the others physically after missing pre-season, with the forward needing time to recover his best explosiveness. Simone is described as motivated and ready, while Kulenovic is fit and Nikola Vlasic is continuing to improve.
Bragança may be given the opportunity from the opening whistle. Abate feels the player has made steady physical progress and is now ready for a starting role.
Torino’s recent concern has been at the other end of the pitch, where chances have not become goals often enough. Abate pointed to opportunities created against Roma and said his players themselves want to be more ruthless. Yet he insisted there is no anxiety in his preparation: there was none before this run, and none as the team head to Bologna.
