Bologna v Inter: Preview, predicted line-ups & Lautaro Martinez injury update

Some seasons arrive with a fanfare. Bologna's has arrived with a bit of a cough.

The hosts have won one of their first six league games, which is not the start anyone at the Dall'Ara had in mind, and it has left them with a manager still settling into the job.

There was a small flicker last time out though, a 2-1 win at Lecce that ended a run of two straight defeats.

Now comes the toughest possible follow-up, because Inter are top, unbeaten and scoring for fun.

If you're a Bologna supporter, you might fancy a bit of history on your side, since these two have a habit of turning a tidy fixture into a goal fest.

Bologna's league form reads LLDLDW, which gives them one win, two draws and three defeats from six games, and five points in total.

The problem is at the sharp end. They have scored just five goals, an average of 0.83 per game, and three of the six matches ended with nothing on their side of the ledger.

The numbers behind the results are not quite as grim. Their recent-form data shows an expected goals figure of 1.32 per game for and 1.04 against, which suggests the performances have been better than the table implies.

However, they have conceded in every league game this season, seven goals in all, and they are still waiting for a first clean sheet.

At home, they have drawn twice and lost once without winning, which makes the Dall'Ara a less intimidating place than it usually is.

Inter have the opposite problem, which is working out where to put all the goals.

They have won five and drawn one from six, scoring 18, and their form line of WWWWDW includes a 3-0 win over Parma last weekend.

The pressure on them is of a different sort. Lazio are level on 16 points, and the gap between first place and a slip is thin, so there is little room for a sulk on the road.

Their away record is the one thing to pick at. Inter have scored three goals in two league games on their travels, 1.5 per game, compared with 3.8 at home.

They did draw 2-2 at Roma last month, so they can score away, they just do it less often.

Over their last six, Inter have won five, drawn one and lost none, while Bologna have won one, drawn two and lost three.

The gap in shape shows in the numbers. Inter average 22.5 shots and 7.17 on target per game, with 62.3% possession, against 12.83 shots and 3.5 on target for Bologna.

However, surface form can flatter. Inter have conceded eight in six, an average of 1.33, and Udinese scored three against them in a 5-3 win, so the visitors are not airtight.

Bologna's lone positive is that they ended the week with a win. A stuttering side will still take that into a game like this.

Inter lead the table on 16 points from six games, with five wins, a draw and a goal difference of plus 10. Lazio are level on points, and Roma sit two behind on 14 from six.

Bologna have five points from six, which leaves them well adrift of the places Inter and their rivals are chasing, in the lower reaches of a table that is already starting to stretch.

For Inter, a win keeps them a step ahead of Lazio for at least another night and keeps the early gap ahead of the chasing pack.

For Bologna, a win would be a real lift, but another defeat would make it three losses in four and bring the early grumbles into focus. Seven games is early, though it is long enough for the doubts to start.

The last ten meetings split three wins for Bologna, four draws and three for Inter, which is as even as a record gets. They average 3.3 goals a game, both teams have scored in seven of the ten (70%) and six of them went over 2.5 goals (60%).

The most recent was a 3-3 draw at Bologna on 23 May 2026. That followed a 3-1 Inter win in Milan on 4 January 2026, and a Super Cup meeting in December 2025 that finished 1-1 before a penalty shoot-out, with Bologna taking it.

The pattern points to goals. Bologna's attack is currently thin, but this fixture has a way of rewriting form, and the BTTS rate of 70% is hard to ignore.

However, the current sides look different. Inter's average of 3.0 goals a game against Bologna's 0.83 suggests a lean towards the visitors, and the correct-score market probably belongs to a one-goal Inter win with both sides on the scoresheet.

The biggest gap is in the shooting. Inter average 22.5 shots and 7.17 on target a game, against 12.83 and 3.5 for Bologna, which tells you who is making the opposition keeper work.

Expected goals tells the same story, with Inter on 2.81 per game for and Bologna on 1.32.

The second gap is the ball. Inter have 62.3% of possession to Bologna's 50.7%, and they concede an average of only 3.67 corners a game while Bologna give away 6.67.

That last one is a quiet warning for the hosts. If Inter pin them back, the set pieces will keep coming, and Bologna have not shown they can ride that out.

Kick-off is at 17:00 BST on Saturday 17 October 2026. A UK broadcaster has not been confirmed yet for this fixture, and this page will be updated closer to kick-off once rights are verified.

The value here sits in the gap between Inter's scoring and Bologna's lack of it. Inter have scored in every game this season, while Bologna have drawn a blank in three of six, so the match result and goals markets feel the most solid ground. The head-to-head record says goals, and the current form points to Inter taking the points.