'When I find him, things will get ugly' - Mihajlovic threatens revenge after Bologna tactics leaked to press

Training at Serie A side Bologna has taken on the look of a spy thriller with manager Sinisa Mihajlovic searching for a mole in his squad – and promising "things will get ugly" when he does find the culprit.

Bologna are 10th in Serie A but Mihajlovic is convinced somebody is leaking his tactics to the press.

In a press conference ahead of his side’s trip to second-placed Inter on Saturday, Mihajlovic said he had tried some new tactics in training in order to see whether it would end up in the news – and, sure enough, it did.

The former Yugoslavia defender had a chilling promise for the perpetrator, whose prospects at the club may have taken something of a hit.

“I only tried out a new formation to find out who the f*ck is talking to journalists,” Mihajlovic revealed. “I did it on purpose because no one was expecting it, so now I’m investigating.

“I swear, if I find who’s been speaking with the media I’m sticking him to the wall. I’ll make sure he doesn’t play again.

“I’m not actually thinking of changing the tactical set-up, I only did it because we were alone, and today everything’s come out in the papers. So there’s someone on the inside who is talking, and I promise that I’ll find him. And when I find him, things will get ugly.”

Bologna have won their last two games against Inter, but Mihajlovic is aware of the threat posed by forward Romelu Lukaku, whom he says he couldn’t have stopped when he was a player – unless they were in a boxing ring.

“As a footballer, I wouldn’t be able to stop him, he is stronger, quicker, bigger than me.

“Maybe I could stop him inside a boxing ring but in a football pitch where you can’t give illegal blows, I would not know how to do it.

“As they say there's never two without three. Let’s see tomorrow if it is true or if it is an exception that proves the rule. We need to score one goal more than them.”

Bologna could rise as high as seventh with a win, while Inter are looking to close the five-point gap to rivals AC Milan at the top of the table.