Serie A champions Inter Milan play for the final time this season as they make the trip to take on Bologna, who may have lost their European hopes.
Vincenzo Italiano will rue the home form his team has put in this season, and that is the main reason for them missing out on European football. Bologna have incidentally lost the final game of the season in each of their last two seasons, but those did not hamper their continental qualification; this time against Inter Milan, however, it does.
Heading into the final game of the season, as Bologna host newly-crowned champions Inter Milan, they are three points behind seventh-placed Atalanta. Even if La Dea lose and Bologna win, they do have an inferior head-to-head record to their rivals as well as a massive goal difference to cover. Hence, the ending to their campaign will not provide European competition, although Italiano will want a strong finish on home soil.
Their opponents, the recently crowned Serie A champions Inter Milan, will also want to end the season on a high note. It has been a terrific campaign for Cristian Chivu, his debut campaign with the Nerazzurri, which is about to end with a domestic double of league and cup.
Heading into the final game of the season, Inter Milan will fall short of their rather unimportant objective of reaching or crossing the 90-point mark. Last weekend, they could only muster a draw against the relegated Hellas Verona, but Chivu will take confidence from the fact that his side will at least finish ten points ahead of second-placed Napoli when the final whistle blows on Saturday.
Team News & Tactics
Bologna
The hosts are missing a few key players. Nicolo Casale, Martin Vitik, and Nicolo Cambiaghi are likely to miss out, although Vincenzo Italiano could recall key defender Jhon Lucumi, who did serve a one-game ban in the win over Atalanta last weekend.
There was also a return for first-choice keeper Lukasz Skorupski last weekend, and he is pencilled in to start again on Saturday.
Remo Freuler and Tommaso Pobega are the key central midfielders for Bologna, while Riccardo Orsolini, who reached double figures last weekend, will start in an attacking role. Santiago Castro will lead the line for the hosts, while Jonathan Rowe and Lewis Ferguson will play on the wings.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Skorupski; Mario, Helland, Lucumi, Miranda; Pobega, Freuler; Rowe, Orsolini, Ferguson; Castro
Inter Milan
The cup final, which came between key league games, required Inter Milan to rotate last weekend, and Cristian Chivu did make some key changes to his lineup. However, he is expected to name a stronger side, with Federico Dimarco and Nicolo Barella expected to return.
There is also the element of resting some World Cup-bound players for this dead rubber, while Hakan Calhanoglu is expected to miss out due to his ongoing fitness issues. Other players carrying slight fitness concerns include Marcus Thuram, Denzel Dumfries, and Manuel Akanji.
Inter Milan have the squad depth to cover for those potential absentees, meaning Stefan de Vrij could start at the back alongside Yann Bisseck and veteran Francesco Acerbi. Petar Sucic could start in midfield alongside Barella and Piotr Zielinski, while Luis Henrique and Dimarco will handle the work on the wings.
Should Thuram not return fit, Lautaro Martínez and Ange-Yann Bonny will lead the line for the newly crowned Serie A champions.
Probable Lineup (3-5-2): Sommer; de Vrij, Bisseck, Acerbi; Henrique, Barella, Sucic, Zielinski, Dimarco; Martinez, Bonny
Key Stats
- Bologna have lost the final game of the season in each of their last two seasons.
- Bologna have won three of their last four home games against Inter Milan.
- Inter Milan have scored twice in at least 26 Serie A games this season.
- Inter Milan have won the domestic double for the first time since 2010.
Player to Watch
Lautaro Martinez
The Inter Milan skipper recently reiterated that he would love to finish his career at the club as long as the Nerazzurri want him to stay. Despite missing many games with fitness issues, the Argentine is likely to finish the campaign once again as the league’s top scorer.
Martinez has 17 goals to his name this season, but surprisingly, he has yet to score away at Bologna during his time at Inter Milan. This upcoming game on Saturday could be a big opportunity to end that run at this venue, as Martinez will want to end the season on a high note.
Prediction
Bologna 1-2 Inter Milan
Bologna have virtually nothing to play for unless Atalanta were to lose by a huge margin and the hosts register a massive victory over Inter Milan. Neither scenario is expected to materialise, and the only thing Vincenzo Italiano will hope for is ending the campaign with a strong performance.
Inter Milan are also eager to end the campaign strongly, and a win would be a fitting way to close out a successful domestic season. On paper, the newly crowned Serie A champions are expected to take home a narrow win, to finish the season with 89 points.