Thiago Motta has explained that Bologna are not out for revenge against Fiorentina, having lost to La Viola on penalties in the Coppa Italia quarter-final, but says he wants to win in the ‘right way’ when the two teams meet again in Serie A on Wednesday evening.
The Bologna coach sat down for his customary pre-match press conference on Tuesday, ahead of the game against Fiorentina on Wednesday, which kicks off at 18.00 GMT.
Bologna have been bettered twice by Fiorentina already this season, both of which were played in Florence: A 2-1 Serie A loss back in November and the penalty defeat after a 0-0 draw in the Coppa Italia on January 9.
“It’s like that, it’s football,” Motta told the press during his conference, reported via TMW.
“We can’t change what’s already happened, but we’re determined and looking forward to a great match tomorrow.
“It’s not revenge, no. Fiorentina is a team that knows how to win, even if they aren’t playing particularly well. Those are strengths that top teams always take advantage of.
“Tomorrow, we will have to take advantage of the support from our home fans and go about this in the right way.”
Motta also played down suggestions that Wednesday’s game between Bologna and Fiorentina will effectively be a play-off for a spot in the European positions.
Bologna are fifth in Serie A heading into Wednesday’s game, three points off Atalanta in the top four, but they will need to win by a margin of over 10 goals if they are to leap into the Champions League spots this week.
Fiorentina, meanwhile, are now two points off Bologna after a rough start to 2024, but could snatch the fifth spot in Serie A with a win on Wednesday.
“Tomorrow is the most important game, but only because it is the next one in our schedule,” Motta said.
“It’s a good match to play in, but we have to be determined and have concentration in every game and that is what we will try to do tomorrow in order to achieve a good result.”