MILAN, ITALY – AUGUST 22: Pio Esposito of Internazionale celebrates during the Serie A match between FC Internazionale and AC Monza at Stadio Giuseppe Meazza on August 22, 2026 in Milan, Italy. (Photo by Claudio Villa/Getty Images)
Inter must shake off a heavy Champions League defeat and Lautaro Martinez injury with a tricky trip to Bologna, as Francesco Pio Esposito and Marcus Thuram take over against Matteo Darmian.
It kicks off at the Stadio Dall’Ara at 17.00 UK time (18.00 CEST).
The Nerazzurri are top of the Serie A table alongside Lazio, but risk an early Champions League exit after losing both their first two matches.
While a trip to Real Madrid isn’t too surprising, the 4-3 home defeat to Club Brugge was a genuine shock and a huge blow to their confidence.
To make matters even worse, Lautaro Martinez sustained a thigh injury and will be out for a month, with Benjamin Pavard also joining Curtis Jones and John Stones on the treatment table.
Esposito and Thuram therefore lead the attack, with Ange-Yoan Bonny the only alternative on the bench.
Luis Henrique and Federico Dimarco take the flanks, with Petar Sucic stepping in for Hakan Calhanoglu.
Bologna have their own problems too, having already fired coach Domenico Tedesco to bring in Raffaele Palladino, who has started to turn things around with a 1-1 against Torino and 2-1 victory away to Lecce.
Riccardo Orsolini suffered a thigh strain in that match and is out of action with long-term absentee Emil Holm, but Jens Odgaard is back on the bench.
Federico Bernardeschi and Nicolò Cambiaghi support Roberto Piccoli upfront, but Matteo Darmian faces his former teammates, having joined Bologna as a free agent when his Inter contract expired.
This fixture has traditionally been a problematic one for the Nerazzurri, who dropped precious points here in the past.
Bologna vs. Inter line-ups
Bologna: Skorupski; Darmian, Casale, Theate; Zortea, Pobega, Ferguson, Miranda; Bernardeschi, Cambiaghi; Piccoli
Inter: J Martinez; Bisseck, Akanji, Bastoni; Luis Henrique, Barella, Zielinski, Sucic, Dimarco; Thuram, Pio Esposito
