Bologna vs Inter Milan Prediction: Back the hosts to end leaders’ winning streak

Two of the form teams in world football, let alone just Serie A meet early on Saturday evening in a match set to be broadcast live on TNT Sports 2 in the UK, with a kick-off time set for 17:00.

Our Italian Football expert Daniele Fisichella has filed his in-depth preview and picked out his two Best Bets as part of his Bologna vs Inter Milan predictions...

A game between Italy’s most in-form teams, that across the entire season have showcased the best brand of football, promises to be a real cracker.

Bologna are unbeaten in two games, both at San Siro, against the league leaders and after winning six consecutive matches they can seriously dream of playing in Champions League next season, for the first time ever.

Thiago Motta has completely transformed the team from Emilia Romagna’s capital since he got the job in October 2022.

The former Inter and PSG midfielder had a tricky start at Bologna as he only collected one point in his first four games in charge, but since then the team got used to his ideas and started clicking.

In fact the hosts have taken points off all the top teams in Serie A, beating the majority of them (including Inter) at the Renato Dall’Ara, scored plenty of goals (89 in 59 games, average 1.50 x game) and established themselves in the top half of the table.

Since January 2023 Bologna average 1.78 points x game and have improved over the summer, despite selling some of their key players like Dominguez and Arnautovic.

But when it comes to Inter there are almost no more superlatives to describe their achievements in Serie A.

The Neroazzurri have won nine league games in a row and 12 in all competitions since the beginning of the year.

Simone Inzaghi’s men are top in Europe’s five best leagues for points-gap on the second placed teams (15), goal difference (+56) and number of successes (23).

They’ve done so well that they have achieved the same number of points (72) they had at the end of last season but with 11 games to spare, and also surpassed Napoli’s tally (71 points) of last campaign after 27 matches.

With such a big lead in the table and a crucial Champions League game coming up, next Wednesday against Atlético Madrid at the Wanda Metropolitano, Inter might well drop their intensity and focus for this Saturday afternoon match.

Team News:

Thiago Motta should confirm Ferguson, Freuler and Fabbian (former Inter’s academy player) in the midfield trio. Ndoye and Orsolini will play behind Joshua Zirkzee, but Saelemaekers is also in contention. In defence, Kristiansen will start as left-back.

For Inter, Calhanoglu is returning to full fitness after the muscular injury he suffered before the game against Lecce. The Turkish international will probably play in the second half to get some match fitness before the Champions League on Wednesday.

Therefore, Asllani, who scored his first league goal of the season on Monday against Genoa, will continue to be the playmaker. Acerbi and Bastoni should return to the starting XI, with Bisseck replacing Pavard.

Former Bologna striker Marko Arnautovic (25 goals in 58 appearances) will play up top with Serie A’s top goalscorer Lautaro Martinez.

Marcus Thuram came on the second half against Genoa after missing the last two games but should start on the bench. Cuadrado and Sensi are both injured.

Bologna vs Inter Milan Odds

Big prize (11/10) for an Inter win considering the Neroazzurri are unbeaten away from home this season and have collected more points than anybody else in Serie A (35, eight more than runners-up Juve and Milan).

However, Bologna are unbeaten in the last three games against Inter and have won the last two home matches (1-0 and 2-1).

The odds for the draw are (23/10), whereas a win for the hosts pays 13/5.

This season in front of their crowd, Bologna have been almost as good as Inter, as they only lost once (2-0 against AC Milan on matchday one), and conceded only seven times (same as the visitors).

Over 2.5 Goals pays Evens as four of Inter’s last five Serie A games have produced more than three goals. However, Under 2.5 Goals (8/11) has been a winning bet in seven of Bologna’s last nine home games.

Bologna or Draw and Over 1.5 Goals @ 13/10 via #PickYourPunt

Thiago Motta’s men have impressed for their attacking style of play, the courage they show against every opponent and their resilience. In fact, their last two away wins, against Lazio and Atalanta, have all come from behind.

In the last seven games, they’ve only collected two points less than Inter (19 against 21) and scored at least twice in every match (18 in total: third-best attack behind Inter and Roma, both with 20, in the period). On Monday Inter had to dig deep in the second half to keep Genoa at bay and despite having numerous chances to score, a draw would have been a fair result, considering Inter were awarded a very dubious penalty before the stroke of half-time.

If they keep this rhythm, the Milanese side could win the title in the derby, scheduled for the 21st of April, with five games to go, and even surpass Antonio Conte’s Juventus record points (102 in 2013/2014) in Serie A. But realistically, with the return of the Champions League, Inter’s winning streak will eventually come to end and they’ll seal the Scudetto just short of 100 points.

Both Teams To Score – Yes @ 4/5

Genoa and Bologna are the two sides that most have tested the Neroazzurri in Serie A this season, but going toe-to-toe against Lautaro & co carries its own risks.

Inter have taken the lead in 26 out of 27 Serie A matches, and thanks to the return of Marcus Thuram to full fitness they could hurt Bologna on the break.

On the other hand, the hosts have only lost six games against Italy’s top sides since mid-October 2022

Seven out of 13’s Inter matches on the road in Serie A this season have produced more than two goals, and Bologna have scored ten times in the seven matches they played so far against top-six clubs.

Both teams have scored in seven of the last nine Serie A meetings between these sides.

You can check out all of Daniele's Serie A Betting Tips here each week along with those of our other Italian Football writers...