Bologna vs Inter Milan
2016/17 Italian Serie A.
Date: Sunday, 19 February 2017
Kick-Off: 11:30 UK,
Venue: Stadio Renato Dall’Ara (Bologna).
2016/17 Italian Serie A.
Date: Sunday, 19 February 2017
Kick-Off: 11:30 UK,
Venue: Stadio Renato Dall’Ara (Bologna).
Bologna is on a downward spiral at the moment with a four-game winless slide as they continue to struggle in the current term. The team is now 14th in the 20-team Italian top flight table, 13 points above the bottom three relegation area.
I Rossoblu succumbed to a 1-3 defeat at the hands of middling squad Sampdoria on the road at the Luigi Ferraris Stadium last Sunday, as per Sofa Score.
Swiss midfielder Blerim Dzemaili scored the opening goal of the contest in the 18th minute for head coach Roberto Donadoni's squad as the visitors took a one-point at the break.
It looked like a won game for Bologna as time slowly ran out, but Sampdoria was able to score three goals in the final eight minutes of the game, courtesy of a spot kick by Luis Muriel in the 82nd minute, a left-footer by Patrik Schick in the 83rd, and an own goal by Ibrahima Mbaye in the 88th.
Meanwhile, Inter Milan was able to bounce back from their loss to defending champions Juventus with a 2-0 victory over lowly team Empoli at their home ground of Giuseppe Meazza Stadium also last Sunday, Goal reported.
Team captain Mauro Icardi and midfielder Ivan Perisic were suspended in the match but Eder and Antonio Candreva provided the goals for head coach Stefano Pioli's side in the 14th and 54th minutes respectively.
It was the fifth win in six games for I Nerazzurri as they continue to ascend in the overall standings. The team is now fourth in the league table, six points behind third-running squad Napoli and final Champions League qualifying berth for the next season.
Prediction and Predicted Lineup
The predicted result is another 2-0 win by Inter Milan.
Bologna starting lineup (4-3-3 formation): Costa; Torosidis, Oikonomou, Maietta, Masina; Pulgar, Zapata, Dzemaili; Verdi, Destro, Krejci
Inter Milan starting lineup (3-4-2-1 formation): Handanovic; Murillo, Medel, Miranda; Candreva, Gagliardini, Kondogbia, D'Ambrosio; Mario, Eder; Icardi
Bologna vs Inter: Head-to-head statistics
Bologna have a record of W5-D5-L10 in their last 20 home games against teams ranked above them in the table.
Inter have a record of W10-D4-L6 in their last 20 away games against teams ranked below them in the table.
The Rossoblu have lost 9 of their last 11 home games against Inter across all competitions.
The Nerazzurri have won eight out of their last nine games.
Inter are also unbeaten at the Dall’Ara since February 2002 (W8 D2).
The Nerazzurri are undefeated in their last five Serie A games against Bologna (W2 D3) – the Nerazzurri have only lost twice in their last 21 games against the Emiliani in the league.
Bologna have lost their last three league games – the last time they lost four league games in a row was in October 2015.
Bologna vs Inter: Prediction
Bologna were leading 1-0 for the overwhelming majority of their last tie with Sampdoria before shockingly shipping three goals that resulted in a third straight loss. They will be desperate to make amends, especially after two deflating losses at home recently.
Meanwhile, Inter are in good form, but this could be a tough one for the visitors. On the road, the Nerazzurri have won 80 per cent of those matches by one goal. Mauro Icardi, however, will miss out due to suspension, which will force Stefano Pioli to do some re-shuffling ahead of this game. That also could give the Rossoblu a faint glimmer of hope as they hope to turn things around.
Under 2.5 goals at 17/20 (1.85)
Double chance – Bologna to WIN or DRAW at 23/20 (2.15).
