Ahead of Inter vs. Bologna: the complete guide to the first match of 2026 | OneFootball

Inter are getting ready to begin a new year: the Nerazzurri’s 2026 campaign restarts at San Siro, where Chivu’s side will face Bologna on Sunday, January 4 at 20:45 CET. Inter welcome their fans back after almost a month, heading into this Matchday 18 fixture sitting top of the league with 36 points from their first 16 matches played.

Ahead of the clash with Bologna, let’s take a look at some of the numbers and facts surrounding the Nerazzurri as they approach the game against the Rossoblù.

PREVIOUS MEETINGS

On Sunday, January 4, Inter and Bologna will face each other for the 157th time in the Serie A. The historical record favours the Nerazzurri, with 75 wins compared to Bologna’s 44, while 37 draws complete the picture. Overall, only Juventus have recorded more league victories against the Rossoblù (80), while AC Milan are level with Inter on 75.

Looking at the last eight Serie A meetings between Inter and Bologna, the balance is perfectly even, with three wins apiece and two draws. However, in those matches the Nerazzurri have scored eight more goals than the Rossoblù (18 vs 10).

INTER'S NUMBERS

In the league, Inter are enjoying a positive spell: the Nerazzurri head into the clash against Bologna having won their last four Serie A matches against Pisa, Como, Genoa and Atalanta. Looking at the bigger picture, Chivu’s side have won five of their last six home league games; moreover, in 2025 Inter have won 13 times at San Siro, with only Roma (14) doing better.

Inter vs. Bologna pits two highly organised and tactically disciplined teams against each other. The Nerazzurri and the Rossoblù are the two sides that have conceded the fewest total shots in this Serie A season: 144 for Inter and 163 for Bologna. Inter also boast the lowest Expected Goals Against figure in the competition, at 14.4.

A solid defence and a free-scoring attack: Inter have by far the highest difference between Expected Goals for and against in this Serie A, with a balance of +14.35. The Nerazzurri have scored 35 goals, making them the league’s best attack despite having played one match fewer. Finally, Inter have the highest conversion rate in the league, at 12.64%.

THE TORO'S RECORD

Lautaro Martínez is currently the leading scorer in the 2025/26 Serie A season with nine goals. El Toro is aiming to reach double figures for the seventh different league campaign: at present, Lautaro is level with Christian Vieri and Roberto Boninsegna on six, while only Giuseppe Meazza (nine), Benito Lorenzi (nine) and Alessandro Altobelli have recorded more Serie A seasons with at least 10 goals scored for Inter.

The Inter captain has scored 30 goals in 2025 in all competitions: only in 2023 did he do better, scoring 37 goals. Against Bologna, Lautaro has a fairly positive record: El Toro has found the net in his last four home matches against the Rossoblù.

THE THREAT DOWN THE LEFT

Federico Dimarco has recorded 40 goal involvements in the Serie A for Inter. The Italian wing-back has scored 17 goals and provided 23 assists; this season, Dimarco has two goals and five assists to his name. In Inter’s history, the only other defender to have surpassed 40 since the 2005/06 season is Maicon, who reached 58.

Against Bologna, Dimarco scored his only Serie A brace on November 9, 2022, in a match that ended 6–1 for Inter. Overall, the wing-back has been involved in four league goals against the Rossoblù.

THE OPPOSITION: BOLOGNA

Bologna come into the clash against Inter sitting 7th in the table with 26 points and a game in hand. The Rossoblù have so far recorded 7 wins, 5 draws and 4 defeats, scoring 24 goals and conceding 14. Bologna have gone four Serie A matches without a win: their last league victory was on November 22, a 3–0 away win against Udinese. Since then, Vincenzo Italiano’s side have lost at home to Cremonese and Juventus, while drawing away to Lazio and, in the most recent round of games, at the Dall’Ara against Sassuolo. In other competitions, Bologna have recorded positive results: in the Europa League the Rossoblù have collected 11 points from six matches and are firmly in the race for direct qualification to the Round of 16, while in the Coppa Italia their win over Parma secured a place in the quarter-finals, where they will face Lazio. In the Supercoppa Italiana, Bologna’s run ended in the final against Napoli, but the Rossoblù defeated Inter in the semi-final, on penalties.

SERIE A MATCHDAY 18

Friday 2 January Cagliari- AC Milan, 20:45 CET

Saturday 3 January Como-Udinese, 12:30 CET Genoa-Pisa, 15:00 CET Sassuolo-Parma, 15:00 CET Juventus-Lecce, 18:00 CET Atalanta-Roma, 20:45 CET

Sunday 4 January Lazio-Napoli, 12:30 CET Fiorentina-Cremonese, 15:00 CET Hellas Verona-Torino, 18:00 CET INTER-Bologna, 20:45 CET

DISCIPLINARY SITUATION

SUSPENDED Inter: - Bologna: - CAUTIONED Inter: - Bologna: Miranda

REFEREE

L'arbitro di Inter-Bologna, gara valida per la 18ª giornata di Serie A, sarà Marco Guida della sezione di sezione di Torre Annunziata The referee for Inter vs. Bologna, on Serie A Matchday 18, will be Marco Guida from the Torre Annunziata section. Referee: Guida Assistants: Ceccon - Laudato Fourth Official: Marinelli VAR: Ghersini Assistant VAR: Maresca

INTER VS. BOLOGNA, WHERE TO WATCH IT ON TV

Inter vs Bologna, our Matchday 18 fixture of the 2025/26 Serie A season, will be played on Sunday, January 4, 2026, at 20:45 pm and will be broadcast live exclusively on DAZN. The match can be followed via the DAZN app on smart TV and streamed on mobile devices such as PCs, smartphones, and tablets.

UPDATES ON INTER TV

As always, Inter TV will provide updates and live links in the build-up to the match, with the latest news from San Siro ahead of kick-off. Our pre-match Livematch for Inter vs. Bologna will go live from 19:30 pm and will also be available on YouTube via the Club’s official channel until 20:35 pm. After the final whistle, there will be full coverage with in-depth analysis and interviews.