Ready to return! Bologna vs. Inter, all you need to know

Team

— Apr 3rd 2021

4 MIN READING

Conte's team will return to action at 20:45 CEST on Saturday 3 April at the Dall'Ara

The last time that Inter took to the pitch was 14 March, 20 days ago. Sanchez’s cross, Lautaro’s wonderful header and a 2-1 victory away to Torino. El Toro, Alexis and Achraf celebrating on the pitch is the most recent image that springs to mind when it comes to the Nerazzurri. Thanks to that win on matchday 27, Inter moved up to 65 points in the league. The team’s match against Sassuolo was then postponed (it’ll be played on 7 April), after which the international break began.

Antonio Conte’s men will return to action at 20:45 CEST on Saturday 3 March against Bologna at the Dall’Ara. As already mentioned, the Nerazzurri will be heading into the clash having not been involved in the last round of Serie A fixtures and after the international break, during which nine Nerazzurri took to the field. The player who played the most was Milan Skriniar, who also bagged two goals (you can find out how all of our players got on here).

RWATCH ANTONIO CONTE'S PRE-MATCH PRESS CONFERENCE

DISCIPLINARY SITUATION

Rodrigo Palacio won’t be involved, with the former Nerazzurri striker suspended for the clash. Inter have four players who are one booking away from suspension: if Barella, Bastoni, Brozovic or Lukaku pick up bookings, they’ll be out of next Wednesday’s fixture against Sassuolo.

Suspended: Palacio (B, one matchday)

One booking away from suspension: Dijks, Soriano, Tomiyasu (B); Barella, Bastoni, Brozovic, Lukaku (I).

STATE OF PLAY

Inter have won eight consecutive matches in the league. Only once in their history have the Nerazzurri recorded at least nine victories in a row, when Mancini’s side went on a 17-game winning run in Serie A.

Bologna, meanwhile, emerged victorious in their last two matches. The Rossoblù have only recorded three consecutive wins on two occasions under Sinisa Mihajlovic: they last did this in February 2020.

Bologna and Inter are the two sides that have conceded the fewest goals in the last 15 minutes of matches during the current Serie A campaign (four each). Bologna and Inter have respectively seen 51.5% and 51.2% of their shots hit the target, the highest percentages in the division this season.

PREVIOUS ENCOUNTERS IN SERIE A

Inter and Bologna will be meeting for the 148th time in Serie A, with the Nerazzurri’s record against the Rossoblù currently reading as follows: 71 wins, 35 draws and 41 defeats. Last season, Inter came from behind to win 2-1 at the Dall’Ara thanks to a Romelu Lukaku brace. Earlier on in the current campaign, Conte’s team ran out 3-1 winners at San Siro thanks to goals from Lukaku and Hakimi (2).

Bologna have won just two of their last 13 Serie A matches against Inter (D4, L7), with both of these wins coming in the last four meetings between the sides (and at San Siro). Inter and Bologna last played out a draw in September 2017 (1-1). Since then, there have been four Nerazzurri wins and two victories for the Emilians.

The Rossoblù’s last home victory against Inter came in February 2002. Since then, they’ve only picked up three points in 14 matches against the Nerazzurri at the Dall’Ara (D3, L11).

PLAYER STATS

Romelu Lukaku finished with 23 league goals last season. Having found the net 19 times so far this campaign, the Belgian could become the seventh Inter player to score at least 20 Serie A goals for two consecutive seasons (Giuseppe Meazza, Amedeo Amadei, Roberto Boninsegna, Mauro Icardi, Stefano Nyers and Christian Vieri have all previously achieved this feat).

Taking into account the Top 5 European leagues, no player has started more moves that have ended in goals from open play than Alessandro Bastoni this season. The Nerazzurri defender has done this on seven occasions, as have Toni Kroos and Leon Goretzka.

Inter are the side that Nicola Sansone has had the most scoring success against: against no other team has the 29-year-old Italian bagged more goals in the Italian top flight. However, his last goal against the Nerazzurri came in February 2015, back when he was on Sassuolo’s books.

FORMER NERAZZURRI PLAYERS: PALACIO OUT

Rodrigo Palacio won’t be involved in tomorrow’s clash due to suspension. The Argentine scored 39 goals in 140 Serie A matches for Inter between 2012 and 2017.

Ibrahima Mbaye spent some of his youth career at Inter, going on to make four league appearances for the Nerazzurri in 2014/15. Andrea Poli, meanwhile, played 18 times for Inter during the 2011/12 campaign.

Gary Medel took to the pitch on 91 occasions for Inter in the league, scoring once.

Bologna coach Sinisa Mihajlovic bagged six goals in 43 games for the Nerazzurri and was Roberto Mancini’s assistant coach for two seasons when the current Italy boss was in charge of the Nerazzurri.