Overview
Inter Milan has just completed an almost perfect domestic season by early winning Serie A before 3 rounds, before continuing to raise the Coppa Italia just a few days later. This is the first time since 2010 that the blue and black striped team has won a double domestic title, ending a memorable season under coach Cristian Chivu.
Except for the regrettable defeat to Bodo/Glimt in the Champions League, Inter almost maintained absolute stability in all competitions. Inter's fast-paced and effective attacking style is clearly shown by the fact that they scored at least 2 goals in 26 matches in Serie A this season. However, in the most recent round, Nerazzurri was unexpectedly held to a 1-1 draw by Hellas Verona - a relegated team - right at San Siro.
Despite completely controlling the game and taking the lead, Inter still dropped the victory after the opponent's equalizer in the 90th minute. That result makes them currently have 86 points before the final round, 13 points more than second-placed Napoli.
Historically, Inter has only achieved three times higher points in Serie A: 97 points in the 2006-2007 season, 94 points in the 2023-2024 season and 91 points in the 2020-2021 season.
However, statistics still support the Milan team before the away trip to Emilia-Romagna. Inter has won 8 out of the last 9 Serie A matches, averaging nearly 3 goals per match.
In the opposite direction, Bologna entered the final round with much regret. Despite just winning two impressive consecutive victories against Napoli and Atalanta, Vincenzo Italiano's team is still only ranked eighth in the standings.
Due to losing in head-to-head record against the seventh-placed team, Bologna no longer has a chance to win a ticket to the Conference League, even if they equalize the point gap in the final round.
An unstable season at home is a major reason why Bologna lost the opportunity to participate in European cups. Up to now, Rossoblu have earned 13 points less at home than away - a gap only behind Tottenham among the top five European leagues.
The Dall'Ara home team has lost up to 9 home matches in Serie A this season. Only two relegation teams, Pisa and Verona, have worse records. Bologna's last home defeat of 10 in a season occurred in 2008 - also the worst record in club history.
However, Bologna still has reason to be confident before welcoming Inter. They have won 3 of the last 4 times welcoming Nerazzurri at Dall'Ara - equal to the number of victories that this team has achieved in 24 previous encounters. Not only that, Bologna also eliminated Inter from the Coppa Italia and Super Cup Italy in the past 18 months.
Personnel situation
Right after the victory in the Coppa Italia final in Rome, Inter Milan made a series of personnel changes in the last weekend round, when Chivu gave a rare starting opportunity to many reserve players.
However, in the last match of the season, the Romanian strategist is likely to return with a stronger squad.
Currently, Inter only has one notable absentee, Hakan Calhanoglu. The Turkish midfielder is having a thigh problem and has missed the last 5 matches.
On the other side, Riccardo Orsolini continues to show his importance in the Bologna squad. The decisive goal in the previous round helped the Italian winger reach the milestone of 10 goals in Serie A this season.
Expected lineup:
Skorupski, Mario, Helland, Lucumi, Miranda, Pobega, Freuler, Ferguson, Orsolini, Castro, Rowe.
J. Martinez, Bisseck, Acerbi, Bastoni, Henrique, Barella, Zielinski, Mkhitaryan, Dimarco, Bonny, L. Martinez.
The match between Bologna and Inter Milan takes place at 11:00 PM on May 23rd (Vietnam time).
