Klose close to Lazio return

Lazio hope to have in-form striker Miroslav Klose available again for Sunday's trip to lowly Bologna.

The prolific Germany international missed Thursday's Europa League 1-1 draw at FC Zurich with a muscular injury and is fighting against the clock to make the match.

Klose's absence would be a blow for coach Edy Reja with the former Bayern Munich star having been pivotal for Lazio this season.

He has scored the winning goals in Lazio's last two league games, including a stoppage-time strike in last weekend's 2-1 triumph over Roma in the city derby.

"We hope Klose will be available to play at Bologna," Lazio assistant coach Giovanni Lopez said. "He is a reference point in our attack and we missed him on Thursday."

Lazio head into the encounter at the Renato Dall' Ara stadium just one point behind Serie A leaders Juventus and Udinese.

The Romans will fancy their chances against a Bologna side that find themselves stuck in the bottom three after six rounds.

However, Bologna celebrated their first win of the campaign last weekend when they beat Novara 2-0, making it a perfect start in the hotseat for their new coach Stefano Pioli.

Pioli was appointed before the international break following the sacking of Pierpaolo Bisoli, who led Bologna to just one point in their opening five games.

"I could not have asked for a better start," Pioli said. "This win will give the team a lot of confidence but we have to keep our feet firmly on the ground.

"We have a lot of work to do and there is a very long way to go."

Bologna will be without injured striker Alessandro Diamanti.