The standout fixture in Serie A this Saturday sees the runaway leaders travel to Emilia-Romagna for an intriguing clash with an unexpected Champions League hopeful.
Thanks to a run of nine straight victories, Inter Milan find themselves 15 points clear of second-placed Juventus, with the Scudetto all but wrapped up.
However, the Nerazzurri won’t have it all their own way against fourth-placed Bologna, who sit four points inside the Champions League spots following six successive wins.
Back to work 👊#WeAreOne pic.twitter.com/YeiRs4jYhY— Bologna FC 1909 (@BolognaFC1909en) March 5, 2024
Back to work 👊#WeAreOne pic.twitter.com/YeiRs4jYhY
There is no denying that Bologna have been this season’s surprise package in Serie A, as they have lost just four of their 27 matches to mount a serious top-four charge.
Last weekend, Thiago Motta’s men came from behind to claim an impressive 2-1 victory over Atalanta in Bergamo, with Scotland international Lewis Ferguson netting the winner.
Not only have Bologna won each of their last six Serie A matches, but they have also scored 16 goals (2.7 goals per game), keeping three clean sheets for good measure.
Better still, Motta’s side have avoided defeat in each of their last 13 home league games, with 10 victories coming in their previous 11 at Stadio Dall’Ara.
Meanwhile, Inter Milan claimed a 2-1 victory over Genoa last time out, meaning they have now recorded 23 wins, three draws and one defeat in the league this term.
In addition to winning each of their last nine Serie A matches, Simone Inzaghi’s men have won each of their previous 12 clashes across all competitions.
Inter’s defensive stats are also hugely impressive, with trends showing that Inzaghi’s side have kept eight clean sheets in their last 10 encounters.
On top of that, Inter have yet to taste defeat on the road this season, winning 13 and drawing four of their 17 away outings across all competitions.
Head-to-head: Bologna held Inter Milan to a 2-2 draw in the reverse fixture back in October, with the visitors coming from 2-0 down to snatch a point at the San Siro.
Interestingly, Bologna have lost just one of their last four Serie A meetings with Inter, winning twice on home soil. That said, Inter have won two of the previous five meetings 6-1.
Team news: Bologna are still without long-term absentee Adama Soumaoro, who has been sidelined since May 2023 with a serious knee injury.
As for Inter Milan, they look set to be without the injured trio of Hakan Calhanoglu, Juan Cuadrado and Stefano Sensi for the trip to Emilia-Romagna.
With both sides enjoying lengthy winning streaks at the moment, Saturday’s showdown looks destined to be an entertaining battle between two in-form teams.
Forebet’s predictive analytics model expects Bologna and Inter Milan to combine for over 4.5 goals, with the visitors edging out the hosts on this occasion.