Today, Inter Milan travels to Bologna under maximum pressure but with confidence boosted by their morale-boosting victory against Bayern Munich in the Champions League and awareness of their rivals’ weaknesses. Taremi is also in the squad and has a chance to play.

Napoli needed 72 minutes to overcome Monza, winning only thanks to McTominay’s brilliance (with his ninth goal of the Serie A season). This shows that at this stage of the season, predicting the difficulty of matches based on the calendar is like writing on sand, and traps may lie in the most unexpected places.

On the other hand, Barcelona, Inter’s opponent in the Champions League semifinals, fought for 98 minutes to defeat Celta Vigo and conceded three goals despite Rafinha’s penalty goal, showing their defensive vulnerability (though Lewandowski’s condition must also be considered). But Inter players must put all these thoughts aside when entering the Dall’Ara stadium, just as they must forget the bitter memories of past matches against Bologna.

Since 1964, Bologna has been a thorn in Inter’s side, especially recently with their elimination from the Coppa Italia and notably the defeat in the race for the Serie A title three years ago with a goal from Arnautović (who now wears Inter’s jersey). Arnautović must now make amends.

According to Giuseppe Marotta (Inter’s CEO), this match is the most important of the year for Inter, and Inzaghi is sending the best possible lineup without considering future matches, including the Coppa Italia derby.

Inter must not drop points in this match to keep their title hopes alive and aims for victory with the spirit of their brilliant Champions League nights. Looking at the calendar, if Napoli wins all their remaining matches, Inter only has one more potential slip-up until the end of the season, though Napoli’s performance against Monza showed this assumption is not certain.

In Inter’s first treble-winning season, the race for the top of the table was just as intense, with Inter leading Roma by two points when they traveled to Siena. On the other hand, Bologna, often described as a hardworking and “dentist-like” team this season, is not a demotivated opponent. With Lazio eliminated from European competitions and only four Champions League spots confirmed for next season, Bologna, under Italiano, is fifth in the race for a Champions League spot, four points behind Atalanta, two behind Juventus, and level with Roma (who have temporarily overtaken Lazio). This match is not only decisive for Inter but also for Bologna.