Seeking a seventh straight league win, reigning Serie A champions Inter Milan will welcome Bologna to San Siro on Wednesday evening.
Inter can move within a point of top spot by beating their Rossoblu rivals, who were cruelly denied victory last time out.
Match preview
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Days after throwing away a two-goal lead to lose the Supercoppa Italiana final to their city rivals, Inter immediately resumed normal service on Sunday.
Having been forced to watch while AC Milan lifted the trophy they had won for each of the past three seasons, Simone Inzaghi's side returned to action with a 1-0 win over Serie A strugglers Venezia at Stadio Penzo.
In the process, Inter extended their growing collection of clean sheets, and the last league goal they conceded away from home came against Udinese back in September.
Home or away, they have now won four consecutive top-flight games without leaking a single goal - the club's best such run since 2021 - and have not suffered defeat in 13 Serie A matches.
All of which leaves them four points behind leaders Napoli, but with two games in hand due to their involvement in the Supercoppa and an abandoned game against Fiorentina.
In addition to keeping things tight at the back - aside from shipping three against Milan and four versus Juventus - Inzaghi's men are the division's top scorers, averaging over 2.5 goals per game.
Coming into Wednesday's clash, they have found the net at least once in their last 31 league fixtures at San Siro, so Bologna will surely beware.
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In three encounters last season, Inter picked up four points in Serie A, while Bologna pulled off a dramatic extra-time win in the Coppa Italia.
The Rossoblu now return to San Siro for the first time since that cup success, aiming to continue a remarkable trend: they have scored in each of the clubs' last 13 league meetings in Milan.
Belatedly playing their first fixture of 2025 last weekend, Bologna came within seconds of starting the year with a home win, but they ultimately had to settle for a draw against Roma.
After they fell behind early in the second half at Stadio Dall'Ara, Thijs Dallinga's second goal of the season was quickly followed by Lewis Ferguson scoring from the spot; but when Jhon Lucumi conceded a last-gasp penalty for a VAR-awarded handball, their visitors snatched a point.
Due to such costly errors, Vincenzo Italiano's side have now conceded five goals from the 90th minute onwards in Serie A this season - only fewer than Como. Furthermore, they have dropped 15 points from winning positions so far, and only second-bottom Venezia have spilled more.
Nevertheless, the Emilian club still sit eighth in the table and have lost just twice on their travels around Italy this season, so they may have some hope of toppling Inter again.
Team News
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Simone Inzaghi selected an unfamiliar midfield trio of Nicolo Barella, Kristjan Asllani and Piotr Zielinski on Sunday, and they may join forces again in midweek.
Regular starters Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Hakan Calhanoglu - the latter of whom has been involved in five goals from five league games against Bologna at San Siro - are both ruled out by thigh problems, while Davide Frattesi is being heavily linked with a mid-season move.
French pair Benjamin Pavard and Marcus Thuram have recently returned from injury, but Yann Bisseck and Joaquin Correa are still sidelined.
Meanwhile, Bologna can call upon ex-Milan midfielder Tommaso Pobega, who has served a one-match ban for his red card against Hellas Verona, but Colombian centre-back Jhon Lucumi is now suspended for accumulated bookings.
Long-term absentees Oussama El Azzouzi and Nicolo Cambiaghi have both returned to training, though like Swiss midfielder Michel Aebischer, neither is ready for action just yet.
Hoping for a recall after being dropped at the weekend, Riccardo Orsolini has played a part in three goals in his last four league games against Inter; he will vie with several others to support either Thijs Dallinga or Santiago Castro up front.
Inter Milan possible starting lineup:
Sommer; Pavard, De Vrij, Bastoni; Dumfries, Barella, Asllani, Zielinski, Dimarco; Martinez, Thuram
Bologna possible starting lineup:
Skorupski; Holm, Beukema, Casale, Miranda; Freuler, Pobega; Orsolini, Ferguson, Dominguez; Castro
We say: Inter Milan 2-1 Bologna
Only one of the last 13 Serie A matches between Inter and Bologna has ended all square, with eight wins for the Nerazzurri and four Rossoblu successes.
That trend should continue in midweek, as Inter can build more momentum behind their Scudetto push by taking maximum points.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Jonathan O'Shea
