Orsolini’s three-week absence leaves Bologna without a key scorer for Inter test

Riccardo Orsolini is expected to miss three weeks after Bologna confirmed a first-degree lesion to the biceps femoris in his right thigh. That rules him out of Saturday’s home match against unbeaten Inter and leaves Raffaele Palladino’s side without a player who has scored in his only Serie A appearance this season.

The injury came at Lecce, according to Calciomercato, and affects the opposite thigh from the lesion Orsolini suffered in the second round of the league campaign. The recovery estimate means Bologna will have to manage the next stretch without him as they try to improve on a start of five points from six games.

The challenge begins against the league leaders at the Dall’Ara. Inter have 16 points from six matches, with five wins and a draw; Bologna sit 14th. Orsolini’s absence removes an established attacking option from a side already facing a substantial gap in the table, although his one league appearance this season limits the sample on which to judge his current contribution.

Calciomercato reports that the three-week estimate would also keep Orsolini out against Cagliari, Milan and Monza, with Parma the target for a possible return before the mid-November international break. The timetable is an estimate, not confirmation of a return date.

There was a more encouraging update from training: Bologna said Jens Odgaard joined the group and completed the full session. That gives Palladino a positive step in preparation, but the club’s update did not say that Odgaard is a direct replacement for Orsolini.

Bologna host Inter on Saturday, 17 October, at 18:00 CEST. With Orsolini sidelined and the leaders arriving unbeaten, the fixture will test the depth of Palladino’s attacking options as much as Bologna’s response to their early-season position.