Serie A 26/27 · Round 7 ·
Bologna FC vs Inter Milano preview: Bologna host Inter in a meeting of contrasting early seasons
Inter arrive at the Renato Dall'Ara as clear market favourites, top of the table with 16 points from six matches. Bologna sit 14th with five points and no home win yet, making this a test of whether their recent away victory can translate to their own ground.
By 10xSharp · Published
This preview was published before kickoff. The match has finished: see the result and full stats. Read the match report.
Who is missing for each side
Bologna are without four players through injury, including forwards Jens Odgaard and Thijs Dallinga, defender Emil Holm and goalkeeper Thomas Gillier. None of those four are among Bologna's top scorers or assisters this season, so the absences do not remove a leading creator. Inter have two injury absentees in defender John Stones and midfielder Curtis Jones. Neither is among Inter's top scorers or assisters, leaving their attacking options intact.
The players carrying each attack
Inter's Lautaro Martinez leads their scoring with 4 goals in 5 matches, placing him second in the competition's scoring chart. Hakan Calhanoglu and Marcus Thuram have each added 3 goals, with Thuram also contributing 2 assists. Bologna's attack is far more modest: Jay Enem, Artem Dovbyk and Riccardo Orsolini have one goal apiece, each accounting for 20% of the team's total. Juan Miranda and Nicolo Cambiaghi share the assist lead with 2 each.
Who arrives in better shape
Inter are the form side by a wide margin, taking 16 points from their last six league matches against Bologna's 5. Inter's latest result was a win, while Bologna also won their most recent league match. Across their last five matches in all competitions, Inter have won three and drawn one, scoring 17 goals, while Bologna have won one, drawn two and lost three, scoring five. Inter have played twice in the last 14 days to Bologna's once, and Inter's most recent match was outside this competition.
The table and the venue records
Inter sit 1st with 16 points from six matches, while Bologna are 14th with 5 points. At home, Bologna have yet to win, recording two draws and one defeat from three matches. Inter's away record is one win and one draw from two matches, with no defeats. Bologna's home goal difference is minus one, while Inter's away goal difference is plus one.
What history says about this fixture
Across the last 10 meetings, Inter have won 3, Bologna 2, and there have been 5 draws, with Inter scoring 18 goals to Bologna's 12. At this ground, the record is 2 Bologna wins, 2 draws and 1 Inter win across 5 meetings, with Bologna scoring 6 and Inter 5. The most recent meeting, in May 2026, ended 3-3. Both teams scored in 60% of the meetings, and the average total goals is 3.0.
How dangerous each side is going forward
Inter hold a clear attacking edge. They average 1.5 goals per away match, better than the league average for an away side on the road, while Bologna average 1.0 goals per home match, clearly worse than the league average for a home side at home. Across all venues, Inter's 3.0 goals per match is a large margin above the league average, while Bologna's 0.8 is clearly below it. Inter's recent away scoring average is 1.4 goals per match.
Who is more likely to keep it tight
Inter also hold a clear defensive edge. They concede 1.0 goals per away match, clearly better than the league average conceded by an away side on the road, while Bologna concede 1.3 goals per home match, level with the league average for a home side. Inter have kept one clean sheet in their two away matches, while Bologna have none in three home matches. Across all venues, Bologna's conceding rate is marginally better than the league average, while Inter's is level with it.
Who works the goalkeeper harder
Inter test the opposing goalkeeper far more often, averaging 7.0 shots on target per match to Bologna's 3.67. Inter also see more of their shots blocked, 6.5 per match against Bologna's 3.5. Inter's possession average of 61.67% is well above Bologna's 49.83%, and Inter also win more corners, 5.67 to 4.0 per match.
When each team is most dangerous
Inter's most dangerous spell is the 46-60 minute window, where they score 28% of their goals, their unique peak. Bologna have no single peak scoring window: they score 20% of their goals in each of five different 15-minute bands. Bologna are most vulnerable late, conceding 29% of their goals in each of the 46-60, 61-75 and 76-90 windows, against 20% scored in each of those windows. Inter concede 25% of their goals in each of the 46-60, 0-15 and 16-30 windows, against 28%, 17% and 11% scored in those windows respectively.
The goal environment each side produces
Inter's matches are far more likely to produce goals: 83% of their matches this season have gone over 2.5 goals, against 33% for Bologna. Inter's home matches are the higher-scoring ones, with 100% going over 2.5 goals against 50% of their away matches. Bologna's matches are back-loaded, with 0% producing two or more goals before half time versus 33% after it. Inter's matches are evenly split across halves, with 66.67% producing over 1.5 goals in each half.
How this match is likely to be shaped
Inter arrive with the sharper attack, the tighter defence and the stronger recent form, and the market prices them as clear favourites. Bologna's best hope lies in their recent away win and a home record that has been hard to break down, but they have not won at home this season. Inter's second-half scoring strength meets a Bologna side that concedes heavily after the break. The most likely shape is an Inter-controlled match with goals coming after half time.