Serie A Preview: Inter vs Bologna – Team News, Line-ups & Prediction | OneFootball

Stadio Giuseppe Meazza is the venue as Inter and Bologna go head-to-head in a handsomely-looking midweek Serie A fixture. Both sides have plenty to play for this Wednesday after being left behind in their respective seasonal races.

Inter’s Supercoppa Italiana duties allowed pacesetters Napoli to open a four-point gap at the table’s summit. However, with two games in hand, the reigning Scudetto holders are still in a decent position to get their hands around a 21st Serie A title this season.

Matteo Darmian’s first-half winner inspired Inter to a narrow 1-0 triumph at relegation-threatened Venezia last weekend. In addition to helping the Nerazzurri keep up with Antonio Conte’s side, Darmian’s goal marked a remarkable piece of the club’s history.

Indeed, it was Inter’s sixth consecutive away league victory without conceding for the first time. As a result, Simone Inzaghi’s men head into proceedings in a buoyant mood. Unlike their hosts, Bologna suffered another late heartache on Sunday.

A last-gasp penalty conceded by Vincenzo Italiano’s team resulted in a heartbreaking 2-2 home draw against Roma, leaving the Rossoblu three points off the top-six pace. It wasn’t the best way to start the new calendar year, especially after closing the last one with a 3-2 home defeat to relegation-battling Hellas Verona.

Therefore, Bologna will be out to atone for back-to-back upsets and potentially throw a spanner in the works of Inter’s Serie A title defense. Based on their recent results in this fixture, that’s not out of the realm of possibility.

Match Preview

Inter

Despite returning from Saudi Arabia empty-handed, Inter have gone from strength to strength in Serie A following a disturbing Derby della Madonnina defeat in mid-September. Inzaghi’s men have since dropped points in only two of their 13 league outings (W11, D2).

Furthermore, they enter this round amid a six-match winning streak in Italy’s top flight, with five triumphs in that stretch coming ‘to nil.’ However, Inter would be naive to underestimate the magnitude of the task awaiting them on Wednesday, particularly after what happened last season.

Bologna didn’t just hold Inter to a 2-2 draw in this corresponding fixture in the 2023/24 Serie A campaign. They also eliminated the Nerazzuri from last year’s Coppa Italia, beating them on penalties on this ground in December 2023.

Yet, Inter can take confidence from humbling this opposition 6-1 in back-to-back home league meetings beforehand. As such, they should feel optimistic about their chances of posting a third Serie A home win on the trot for the first time this season.

Bologna

Bologna’s struggles at Giuseppe Meazza are long-standing. But they’ve recently found a winning formula, getting the better of Inter twice across their last four encounters in all competitions (W1, D1). Another victory isn’t beyond Bologna, knowing they had triumphed here twice in a row in 2019 and 2020.

That’s a distinct memory now. However, enthusiasm stems from Bologna’s formidable away form. They’ve only suffered one defeat on their last eight Serie A road trips (W4, D3), remarkably scoring at least two goals on seven occasions. It’s no small feat when factoring in high-profile matches against Juventus and Roma.

Capable of scoring at any time, they’ve netted on either side of halftime in a league thrid-high seven fixtures this term. Only Atalanta and Inter have done better.

On another positive note, Italiano’s men have kept a clean sheet in their last two competitive away games after conceding 2+ goals in three on the spin beforehand.

Team News

Inter will be without talismanic midfielder Hakan Calhanoglu. Inzaghi also can’t call upon Henrikh Mkhitaryan, meaning Kristjan Asllani and Piotr Zielinski could start alongside Nicolo Barella. Joaquin Correa is out with a muscle injury, but Benjamin Pavard and Francesco Acerbi are back from lengthy spells on the sidelines.

On the other hand, Bologna stars Oussama El Azzouzi and Nicolo Cambiaghi are still on the treatment table. Moreover, Italiano lost defensive stalwart Jhon Lucumi to suspension against Roma, so Nicolo Casale could start alongside Sam Beukema at the heart of his backline.

Inter vs Bologna Potential Starting Line-ups

Inter (3-5-2): Sommer; Pavard, De Vrij, Bastoni; Dumfries, Barella, Asllani, Zielinski, Dimarco; Martinez, Thuram.

Bologna (4-2-3-1): Skorupski; Holm, Beukema, Casale, Miranda; Freuler, Pobega; Orsolini, Ferguson, Dominguez; Castro.

Inter vs Bologna Prediction

Despite their sterling winning streak in Serie A, Inter’s recent performances have flattered to deceive. But we still back Inzaghi’s team to take three points, though without a clean sheet this time.