Inter Milan will be keen to get their Serie A title charge back on track when they welcome Bologna to the Giuseppe Meazza on Saturday.
Serie A leaders Inter Milan will welcome Bologna to the Giuseppe Meazza on Saturday as they seek to strengthen their hold at the top of the Italian top-flight standings.
Simone Inzaghi has seen his men win six of their first seven league games this season, with a stunning 1-2 loss to Sassuolo in their last home game the only blot. This sees them level on points with arch-rivals AC Milan at the top of the Scudetto standings.
The Nerazzurri have since thrashed Salernitana and taken down SL Benfica in the UEFA Champions League. A third win this weekend will certainly hand the home side momentum going forward.
Bologna, on the other hand, have also lost just once in Serie A this season but have gained a propensity to secure draws. In fact, Thiago Motta’s men have a robust defence that opposition attackers have found difficult to breach. It will certainly be put to the test against the Inter frontline on Saturday.
In fact, only Inter have conceded fewer goals than Bologna this season. The game could come down to who can keep their composure at the back. It is unlikely to be a free-scoring affair and an affair of who can keep their cool when needed. The Hard Tackle looks at how both sides could line up on Sunday and what tactics they might employ.
Team News & Tactics
Inter Milan
🏃💨#ForzaInter pic.twitter.com/FoAYltM9j1
— Inter (@Inter) October 5, 2023
Simone Inzaghi will be keen to mount another Scudetto charge this season after missing out the last two seasons. Inter have been solid in cup competitions but will need to show more consistency to successfully see out a league campaign.
The loss to Sassuolo was a wake up call and so far, the Nerazzurri have responded well. Bologna represents a tricky opponent and Inter will hope that their former hero Thiago Motta, now in charge of the visitors will end the day empty handed.
The trio of Davide Frattesi, Marko Arnautovic, and Stefano Sensi are all out injured, while Juan Cuadrado is likely to have to settle for a spot on the bench. Inzaghi has an otherwise fully-fit squad to choose from.
One constant, however, is the 3-5-2 formation that Inzaghi opts to deploy. Yann Sommer should start in goal behind the back three of Benjamin Pavard, Stefan de Vrij and Alessandro Bastoni. Matteo Darmian and Federico Dimarco should occupy the wing-back slots with the trio of Nicolo Barella, Hakan Calhanoglu and Henrikh Mkhitaryan holding fort in the centre of the field.
Lautaro Martinez scored four against Salernitana last time around and will be the man upfront again with the midweek hero Marcus Thuram in support.
Probable Lineup (3-5-2): Sommer; Pavard, de Vrij, Bastoni; Darmian, Barella, Calhanoglu, Mkhitaryan, Dimarco; Martinez, Thuram
Bologna FC 1909
Since Thiago Motta took over as Bologna manager, the Rossoblu have lost just 11 games, the same as Inter Milan in the same time frame. In fact, only SSC Napoli and AC Milan have a better record during the same timeframe.
While defensive solidity is on the table, Bologna have struggled to show the same prowess on the other side of the pitch. Riccardo Orsolini scored a hat-trick last time around and will hope to continue his purple patch of form this weekend.
Motta will be without Stefan Posch and Adama Soumaoro for the game but has an otherwise fully-fit squad available for selection. The 4-2-3-1 formation should help the visitors retain their solid backline while also giving them the numbers to battle Inter in the middle of the park.
Allenare è un gioco di squadra 👥️#ForzaBFC #WeAreOne pic.twitter.com/bgRoXLUews
— Bologna Fc 1909 (@Bolognafc1909) October 5, 2023
Lukasz Skorupski should start in goal behind the back four of Lorenzo De Silvestri, Sam Beukema, Riccardo Calafiori and Victor Kristiansen. Michel Aebischer and Remo Freuler should form the double pivot, acting as the anchor in the middle of the park.
An in-form Riccardo Orsolini should start out wide on Saturday, with Dan Ndoye occupying the opposite wing. Lewis Ferguson should don the number ten role with Joshua Zirkzee leading the line.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Skorupski; De Silvestri, Beukema, Calafiori, Kristiansen; Aebischer, Freuler; Orsolini, Ferguson, Ndoye; Zirkzee
Key Stats
- Both teams have shared 11 victories in their last 11 league games against each other with Inter winning seven of them. The last time a game between the two ended in a draw was in 2017.
- A win on Saturday will see Inter win four straight home league games against Bologna for the first time since April 2004.
- Inter Milan have won six of their first seven games in Serie A this season. This is the fifth time in their history that they have managed to earn this feat. However, they have never managed to win the title in any of those seasons.
- A shutout on Saturday will see Bologna keep five league clean sheets in a row for the first time since 1999.
- Bologna are yet to concede a goal in their last 428 minutes of Serie football, the longest of any team currently in the top five European leagues.
- Bologna have lost just 11 games since Thiago Motta took over as the manager. Only SSC Napoli and AC Milan have lost fewer games in that time.
Player to Watch
Lautaro Martinez
The Argentine is the Serie A top scorer this season and is likely to be Inter’s biggest goal scoring threat on Saturday. He scored four goals last time out against Salernitana and will be keen to repeat the trick this weekend.
Martinez and Thuram have formed a solid front two, putting to rest thoughts of Romelu Lukaku. The duo are by far the most dangerous attackers on the field and as long as they turn up should make a difference in Inter’s favour.
Prediction
Inter Milan 1-0 Bologna
The home side will be keen to get off to a fast start and will be buzzing from their midweek win over Benfica. Bologna’s current run of 428 minutes without conceding a goal will be put to the test and it remains to be seen how well Inter can break through the visitors’ rearguard.
They do, however, have strength in depth, and the difference in quality should swing the pendulum in their favour. The Hard Tackle predicts a hard-fought encounter that will end in a 1-0 win for the home side.
