Inter Milan are set to meet Bologna in a space of a few weeks as Christian Chivu will aim to reclaim top spot in the standings on Sunday.

The Serie A title race is proving to be very exciting around the midway point of the season, with each contender keeping the points gap very short with each passing gameweek. Inter Milan held a one-point advantage heading into the weekend, but AC Milan’s early victory this week ensured the Rossoneri are two points ahead at the time of writing, with the Nerazzurri facing a tricky game against Bologna on Sunday.

Inter Milan are on a four-game winning streak, which does not include the Supercoppa Italiana exit at the hands of their next opponents, Bologna. In the aftermath of their return from Saudi Arabia, Cristian Chivu’s men secured a hard-fought victory away at Atalanta to keep their foothold at the summit.

Heading back to the top of the tree will be Chivu’s primary agenda, although they face a tricky fixture ahead as Inter Milan host Bologna at San Siro. The Nerazzurri have won just once in their last five meetings with Bologna, and Chivu will want that changed ahead of Sunday’s meeting.

Meanwhile, Vincenzo Italiano is eager to make a push towards the European places in the standings, as his Bologna side are ten points behind Inter Milan heading to San Siro. Despite beating the Nerazzurri in Saudi Arabia, Bologna were beaten by Napoli in the Supercoppa Italiana Final, and since then, they have drawn with Sassuolo in their regional derby.

Bologna have one win in their last five Serie A games, which calls for an immediate return to form by Italiano. While they sit right outside of the European spots, there is every chance they could climb back up as they currently occupy a respectable seventh place in the Serie A table.

Team News & Tactics

Inter Milan

Cristian Chivu was boosted by the return of veteran defender Francesco Acerbi to training, although Inter Milan are still missing key wing-backs Matteo Darmian and Denzel Dumfries.

Striker Ange-Yoan Bonny is also out of the equation with an injury, meaning Chivu might have to make some minor selection decisions. Marcus Thuram and Lautaro Martinez are best placed to lead the line for Inter Milan against Bologna, with Francesco Pio Esposito pencilled for a role on the bench.

Tomas Palacios and Raffaele Di Gennaro are also out of contention, although the duo were not expected to start in the first place. Chivu might not name Acerbi in his team just yet so as to prevent any risk of a recurrence of the injury. So, Alessandro Bastoni, Yann Bisseck, and Manuel Akanji are expected to start in the back three.

Beyond that, the Inter Milan manager is set to name a familiar lineup against Bologna, with Luis Henrique set to play in the right wing-back role, although Piotr Zielinski could come in place of Henrikh Mkhitaryan in the midfield.

Probable Lineup (3-5-2): Sommer; Akanji, Bisseck, Bastoni; Henrique, Barella, Calhanoglu, Zielinski, Dimarco; Martinez; Thuram

Bologna

Lukasz Skorupski and Federico Bernardeschi are unavailable, but Torbjorn Heggem is back from a suspension to face Inter Milan. Kevin Bonifazi and Nicolo Cambiaghi are also out of contention for this trip to San Siro, and Vincenzo Italiano might make some selection decisions ahead of naming his strongest lineup.

He is expected to field a back four of Nadir Zortea, Martin Vitik, Jhon Lucumi, and Juan Miranda. Tommaso Pobega will partner with Nikola Moro in central midfield, while Giovanni Fabbian will feature in the No.10 role for Bologna.

Riccardo Orsolini, who has been involved in five goals in the last six league games against Inter Milan, will feature off the right wing, while Jonathan Rowe will take up his post on the other flank, and Thijs Dallinga will lead the line for Bologna this weekend.

Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Ravaglia; Zortea, Vitik, Lucumi, Miranda; Pobega, Moro; Orsolini, Fabbian, Rowe; Dallinga

Key Stats

• Inter have won seven of their last eight matches in Serie A.
• Inter have drawn their last three home matches against Bologna in all competitions.
• Bologna have scored in 17 consecutive away games against Inter Milan.
• Bologna have only won one of their last 13 year-openers

Player to Watch

Lautaro Martinez

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For all the criticism Martinez has received earlier this season, and from before, he has been one of the in-form attackers in Serie A. The match-winning goal against Atalanta was exceptional in a lot of ways and was the fourth game in a row that he found the back of the net.

Now, as Inter Milan host Bologna in what could be another tricky fixture for the Nerazzurri, Martinez will aim to score in a fifth consecutive game. He is already showing tremendous form and taking a lot of responsibility in Inter Milan’s season so far, and Cristian Chivu will hope the form and momentum of his skipper continue on Sunday.

Prediction

Inter Milan 2-1 Bologna

Bologna are not in the best vein of form heading to San Siro, although they have been very good against Inter Milan in the last few seasons. Hence, the visitors taking a point out of this venue against this opposition cannot be ruled out. But given the form that Inter Milan are in, it is difficult to envision anything past a home win.

Inter Milan will be eager to get back on top of the standings after AC Milan’s win on Saturday, and Chivu will want his players performing at their best. Martinez, the man in focus, could prove crucial in this encounter, and Inter Milan are expected to narrowly take three points, as Bologna are expected to score at some point in the game.