Inter Milan will be keen to mount a solid charge for the top spot in the Serie A standings when they take on top-four-chasing Bologna.
Inter Milan got back to winning ways following their unsuccessful trip to Saudi Arabia, as they brushed past Venezia at the weekend, with Bologna up next for the reigning Serie A champions. A Matteo Darmian goal early in the first half proved enough for the Nerazzuri to collect three points.
That win would have been a good sign for Inzaghi following their disappointment in Saudi Arabia. Inter Milan squandered a two-goal lead in the Supercoppa Italiana against arch-rivals AC Milan as the Rossoneri staged a stunning comeback and denied Inter a fourth consecutive title.
Meanwhile, Inter Milan are in the thick of an exciting title race and certainly with an upper hand over rivals Atalanta and leaders Napoli. The former dropping points has allowed Inter to move into the second spot, and they still have two games in hand over Napoli, while they are only four points behind Antonio Conte’s men.
Meanwhile, top-four chasing Bologna will be looking to upset the top order with a stellar win over Inter Milan and continue on their march towards a top-four place. Last season, Inter Milan did pick up four points against Bologna, but the latter ousted them in the Coppa Italia Final.
While they have been consistent enough to keep their hopes alive of a top-four finish, Vincenzo Italiano would like to weed out problems at the back that have seen them concede five goals after the 90th minute. The most recent one came against Roma last weekend, as Artem Dovbyk scored from the penalty spot to draw the game level.
Bologna have had some favourable results against the big team this season, with their draw with Juventus recently a clear indication that they cannot be seen as pushovers. In any case, Vincenzo Italiano will want to see more of a fight from his side when they meet Inter Milan at the San Siro.
Team News & Tactics
Inter Milan
Simone Inzaghi still has many of his key stars missing from action, with the likes of Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Joaquin Correa, Raffaele Di Gennaro and YUann Bisseck completely out of the picture ahead of this clash with Bologna.
There are doubts about key midfielder Hakan Calhanoglu and defender Francesco Acerbi. The absence of the latter, as well as Bisseck, continues to stretch the backline, with Inzaghi forced to overuse his players, barring Alessandro Bastoni, as the defender is likely to start all important games.
Stefan de Vrij and Darmian are the likely starters alongside Bastoni in that back three. Denzel Dumfries has been on good form of late and will continue to start in the right wing-back role, while Federico Dimarco will assume his place on the left wing.
Piotr Zielinski and Kristjan Asllani will come into the midfield selections alongside Nicolo Barella. Top scorer Marcus Thuram and skipper Lautaro Martinez are the strongest centre-forwards for Inter boss Inzaghi, with the pair likely to start up front.
Probable Lineup (3-5-2): Sommer; Darmian, de Vrij, Bastoni; Dumfries, Barella, Asllani, Zielinski, Dimarco; Thuram, Martinez
Bologna
Compared to Inter Milan, Bologna have a fairly shorter list of absentees for this upcoming Serie A clash. Oussama El Azzouzi and Michel Aebischer are the injury-enforced absentees for this one, while Jhon Lucumi misses out with a suspension.
Vincenzo Italiano will continue to deploy a setup with the intention of attacking the opposition, with Nicolo Casale and Sam Beukema as the starting central defenders. Emil Holm and Juan Miranda will feature in the full-back roles. Remo Freuler will feature in the midfield double pivot alongside Lewis Ferguson.
Jens Odgaard will reprise the No.10 role, while Riccardo Orsolini and Dan Ndoye are set to feature on either wing. Santiago Castro will lead the line for Bologna against Inter Milan, and he will have the toughest job at the weekend to break down one of the best defences in the division and possibly even in Europe.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Skorupski; Holm, Beukema, Casale, Miranda; Freuler, Ferguson; Orsolini, Odgaard, Ndoye; Castro
Key Stats
- Inter Milan have won their last six matches in Serie A.
- Inter Milan have kept a clean sheet in their last four matches in Serie A.
- Bologna have scored at least two goals in five of their last six matches in Serie A.
- Bologna have conceded five goals this season beyond the 90th-minute mark.
Player to Watch
Lautaro Martinez
There is the element for Martinez to prove his worth again for the club after another sub-par start to the new campaign. The skipper did make himself big in the Supercoppa Italiana final by scoring the opening goal for Inter Milan but was blamed for the lack of leadership in their dramatic fall-off in that game against AC Milan.
Meanwhile, the upcoming period will be a testing one for Martinez in his quest to make this into a successful season for him personally. The Argentine internaitonal could potentially begin that quest with a dominant performance against Bologna, as some goals here would help his side in their title challenge, as well as bring some confidence back into his legs.
Prediction
Inter Milan 2-1 Bologna
Bologna have been scoring a lot of goals of late, as they have netted at least twice in their last six Serie A encounters. However, the Rossoblu might find it a little difficult at San Siro as the Inter Milan backline will make it extremely challenging for their attackers.
Inter Milan are in a good space when it comes to the Serie A title challenge, and Simone Inzaghi is likely relishing the prospect of catching leaders Napoli while being in an advantageous position. Inter Milan are expected to move past Bologna at San Siro, although they might end up conceding an odd goal on their way to three points.
