Serie A Preview: Milan vs Bologna – Team News, Lineups & Prediction
Serie A Preview: Milan vs Bologna – Team News, Lineups & Prediction
Milan and Bologna are set to lock horns in a high-stakes Serie A showdown at San Siro on Wednesday night. Buoyed by winning their league fixtures last weekend, both sides should take the field in high spirits.
Despite missing top scorers Adrien Rabiot and Diego Moreira, Milan saw off out-of-sorts Udinese 2-0 at the Bluenergy Stadium on Sunday. Christian Pulisic’s early opening goal set the tone for Milan’s triumph before Omari Hutchinson slammed the final nail in the Friulians’ coffin with his first goal for the club.
As one of only four Serie A teams yet to lose a league game this season (W5, D3), Milan are vying for their first Scudetto since 2021/22. In search of good omens, that was the last time they started a league campaign on an eight-game unbeaten run, giving Ruben Amorim plenty of reason for optimism.
Optimism was in short supply at Renato Dall’Ara at the start of the season as Bologna went winless in their opening five league outings (D2, L3). However, Raffaele Palladino’s arrival has restored a feel-good factor in Emilia-Romagna, with the Rossoblu picking up two wins in their last three Serie A matches (L1).
The second one came at the Unipol Domus on Saturday, as second-half goals from Federico Bernardeschi and Nicolo Casale inspired Bologna to a 2-0 win over Cagliari, bolstering their confidence ahead of this trip.
Match Preview
Milan
Sunday’s victory in Udine was a perfect response to Milan’s humiliating 3-0 defeat at Bournemouth in their last Europa League fixture. Looking to avoid another midweek embarrassment, Milan can take heart from their superb home form this season. They’ve won all three league matches at San Siro and could make it four in a row at the start of a new campaign for the first time since the title-winning 2021/22 season.
That wouldn’t be a small feat to achieve, considering they’ve done that only three times since the turn of the century. Amorim has little reason to doubt his side’s chances here, knowing Milan have failed to score in just three of their 22 Serie A home games since the start of last season.
Furthermore, Milan could not have asked for a more favorable opponent, as they’ve lost just one of their last 21 top-flight meetings with Bologna (W16, D4), conceding an average of 0.7 goals per game in that sequence. However, a narrow 1-0 win in this corresponding fixture last season suggests the Rossoneri would be naive to take anything for granted.
Bologna
Palladino’s endeavor to restore Bologna as genuine contenders for the European spots faces a formidable challenge, with the Rossoblu’s last away league win over Milan coming in 2016. Yet, after beating Lecce and Cagliari on their last two Serie A road trips, Palladino could become only the third Bologna manager to win each of his first three Serie A away games with the club.
A lack of firepower has been an obvious shortcoming so far this season. Bologna have averaged just one goal per match, highlighting the importance of keeping a clean sheet. With that in mind, registering their first shutout of 2026/27 last weekend should give Palladino’s men a timely confidence boost.
However, replicating that defensive performance at San Siro will be considerably harder. For context, Bologna have failed to keep Milan at bay in nine of their ten away league encounters since their last win here, conceding at least two goals on eight occasions in that time!
Team News
Milan remain without Samuel Chukwueze, Mattia Gabbia, Alexis Saelemaekers and Filippo Terracciano, while Rabiot and Moreira face late fitness tests after missing Sunday’s win over Udinese with muscular problems. Mario Gila and Ruben Loftus-Cheek are also doubts, meaning Amorim could make several changes with Saturday’s derby against Inter in mind.
Bologna have fewer injury concerns, although Roberto Piccoli, Riccardo Orsolini and long-term absentee Emil Holm remain sidelined. Jens Odgaard could continue leading the line in Piccoli’s absence, while former Milan midfielder Tommaso Pobega is in contention to partner Lewis Ferguson in the middle of the park.
Milan vs Bologna Potential Starting Lineups
Milan (4-4-2): Maignan; Tomori, De Winter, Pavlovic, Bartesaghi; Hutchinson, Jashari, Musah, Cisse; Pulisic, Ramos.
Bologna (3-4-3): Skorupski; Darmian, Casale, Theate; Zortea, Ferguson, Pobega, Miranda; Bernardeschi, Odgaard, Cambiaghi.
Milan vs Bologna Prediction
Milan’s impressive home form and dominance in this fixture make them favourites to claim all three points. Amorim’s side have gone eight Serie A games without defeat and have conceded just seven goals this season, while Bologna’s attacking output remains modest.
Although Palladino’s men have won their last two away league games, Milan’s superior quality should prove decisive.
Source: sports.yahoo.com — article syndicated from the publisher’s feed; all rights remain with the original publisher.