Bologna injury latest ahead of Liverpool as three ruled out of Champions League clash

Bologna will be without three players for the Champions League clash against Liverpool at Anfield on Wednesday night. Manager Vincenzo Italiano has named his squad for the encounter.

Liverpool will look to build on their 3-1 away win against Milan in the first Champions League match of the season and take on another Serie A side in Bologna this week. The Italian outfit finished a surprise fifth in Serie A last season, securing their place in the competition.

However, the summer saw them lose some key players as well as manager Thiago Motta, who replaced Massimiliano Allegri at Juventus. After the first six games of the league season, Bologna sit in 13th place, having won once, lost once and drawn four of their opening matches.

READ MORE: Liverpool icon risks Jose Mourinho fury in cheeky message after controversy

READ MORE: Liverpool trio out to impress Arne Slot with Bologna message

The Champions League may then come as a welcome distraction. The Italian side drew 0-0 with Shakhtar Donetsk in their opening game of the competition.

That game saw midfielder Thommaso Pobega come on for the final 25 minutes. But Italiano won’t be able to call on the 25-year-old against Liverpool after he suffered a knee ligament strain and is not expected to be back until mid-November.

Pobega will join long-term absentees Oussama El Azzouzi and Lewis Ferguson on the sidelines. Neither player is yet to make an appearance this season as they recover from knee injuries of their own.

Despite his red card in the weekend’s Serie A match against Atalanta, where Bologna had to settle for a draw, defender Jhon Lucumi will be available to feature against the Reds. As the red was issued in a domestic match, the player will serve his suspension for Serie A games but will be available in Europe.

Bologna squad to face Liverpool

Goalkeepers: Nicola Bagnolini, Federico Ravaglia, Łukasz Skorupski

Defenders: Sam Beukema, Nicolo Casale, Tommaso Corazza, Martin Erlic, Emil Holm, Jhon Lucumi, Charalampos Lykogiannis, Juan Miranda, Stefan Posch

Midfielders: Michel Aebischer, Giovanni Fabbian, Remo Freuler, Kacper Urbanski

Forwards: Santiago Castro, Thijs Dallinga, Samuel Illing-Junior, Dan Ndoye, Jens Odgaard, Riccardo Orsolini