Bologna – Inter Milan
Bologna has barely finished dealing with heavyweights Napoli and Atalanta, and already the next test of strength is upon them: leaders Inter Milan are visiting the Stadio Renato Dall’Ara on Sunday. The Rossoblu are in fifth place with 57 points, just one point ahead of Lazio and two behind Juventus – a situation in which every point counts for a Champions League spot. Inter are traveling with a comfortable 71 points, but have rarely picked up three points away from home recently. The 2-2 draw in the first leg shows that the league leaders are vulnerable, especially as Simone Inzaghi is likely to be without Marcus Thuram and the strain of the Champions League semi-final against Bayern Munich is likely to be felt.
Bologna – Inter info
- Venue: Stadio Renato Dall’Ara, Bologna
- Date and time: 20.04.2025, 18:00
- Competition: Serie A (matchday 33)
Bologna form & record check
Bologna has performed well in its last five competitive games: three wins, one draw, and a 0-2 defeat in Bergamo. What is striking is the team’s ability to assert itself late in games – in four of these games, the team only scored after the break and won 80% of the second halves. Riccardo Orsolini is in top form, but with Ferguson (muscle tear) out, the team is missing its creative playmaker, and Lucumí is injured. Vincenzo Italiano is nevertheless sticking with his flexible 4-2-3-1 formation and hoping that the defensive stability of the final quarter of an hour will kick in earlier this time.
Bologna are likely to start in a 4-2-3-1 formation once again: Ravaglia – De Silvestri, Beukema, Miranda, Casale – Freuler, Pobega – Orsolini, Fabbian, Ndoye – Dallinga. Skorupski, Ferguson and probably Lucumí are still out. Inter remain loyal to their 3-5-2 formation: Sommer – de Vrij, Bastoni, Bisseck – Zalewski, Barella, Çalhanoğlu, Mkhitaryan, Dimarco – Martínez, Arnautovic. Dumfries, Zieliński, Carboni, and Thuram are unavailable. There are few changes to the system; it will be interesting to see whether Arnautovic can replace Thuram’s deep runs.
Inter Form & Record Check
Inter are unbeaten in five competitive games and won their last match 3-1 against Cagliari. The offense is reliable – Lautaro Martínez scores almost at will – but the Nerazzurri are shaky defensively after the break, conceding a goal in the second half of all five games. Added to this is Thuram’s muscle injury, which is why Marko Arnautovic is likely to start. Despite these flaws, passing accuracy (Barella, Çalhanoğlu) and squad depth keep the level high, but the fresh double burden could take its toll at this very moment.
The last five head-to-head matches have been evenly balanced: Bologna won twice, Inter once, and there were two 2-2 draws. Remarkably, in all of these games, no more than one goal was scored after the break, and Bologna never led at half-time. Conversely, Inter failed to win the second half in any of these encounters – a pattern that fits perfectly with the current form of both teams.
Bologna – Inter Head-to-Head & Statistics
Noteworthy in head-to-head comparisons: In the last five meetings between the two teams, there have been two draws (both 2-2 in January 2025 and October 2023), two wins for Bologna (1-0 in 2023, 2-1 after extra time in December 2023 in the cup) and one for Inter (1-0 in March 2024). There is no clear dominance here, with the balance of power appearing to be evenly matched overall.
Interestingly, in all five encounters, no more than one goal was scored after the break – the series of five “under 1.5 goals” in the second half is remarkable. Those speculating on lots of late goals have usually had to wait a long time. In addition, Bologna has scored in each of its last three games, while Inter has conceded at least one goal in each of the same three games – a pattern that remains in the back of the mind.
Surprisingly, Bologna has never led Inter before the break, and Inter has never won after the break. This constellation speaks for the tactical discipline of both teams, especially in the second half. Such nuances could be decisive again this time around if we are expecting an open exchange of blows, but the numbers do not suggest this will be the case.
