Rocked by another disappointing Champions League night, Milan head to the Stadio Renato Dall’Ara to take on Bologna in an exciting Serie A fixture. It’s time to preview the game and take a look at the expected lineups.
Under-strength Milan fell to a narrow 1-0 away defeat to Porto in midweek Champions League action and now look almost officially doomed in Group B. Yet, despite losing each of their three European matches this season, the Rossoneri have been quite remarkable in Serie A so far.
And while the visitors continue to mount pressure on league leaders Napoli, Bologna have been struggling for consistency since the beginning of the season. With each of their last 12 Serie A games seeing a different result than the one prior, the Rossoblu have been one of the most inconsistent sides in Italy’s top-flight lately.
Bologna vs Milan Head-to-Head
Bologna have failed to beat Milan in any of their previous 11 Serie A encounters, drawing one while losing the remaining ten, including each of the last five in a row. It goes from bad to worse for the hosts, as they conceded 2+ goals on all five occasions in that sequence.
Since beating the Rossoneri in 2001/02, the Emilia-Romagna outfit have gone winless in their subsequent 15 top-flight H2Hs on home soil (D4, L11). Only against Inter (12) have they lost more Serie A home matches than against Milan in that period.
Additionally, goals have been in short supply for Bologna across their recent Serie A home duels with this opposition, with Sinisa Mihajlovic’s side drawing a blank in three of their last six league clashes at Renato Dall’Ara.
Bologna Form Preview
Bologna dropped a one-goal lead against a ten-man Udinese side last time out, eventually playing out a 1-1 away draw at the Friuli. Another disappointing result for the Greyhounds left them at a single win in five Serie A matches (D2, L2).
Despite their lack of consistency, the Rossoblu are well on course of establishing themselves as a permanent top-half fixture as they head into proceedings occupying a respectable eighth place. Mihajlovic’s men have been a force to be reckoned with at home of late, having picked up three triumphs across their last four Serie A home games (D1).
Bologna’s Serie A home action usually sparks into life after half-time, as a clear majority (84.62%) of their top-flight goals scored/conceded at Renato Dall’Ara this season have come in the second half of play (11/13). With three of their four league home fixtures this season featuring at least one goal beyond the 75th minute, we could have an action-packed finish on our hands here.
Player to watch: Musa Barrow
Musa Barrow has had his hand in five goals across his last five Serie A appearances, scoring three and assisting two. That’s a significant turnaround from his underwhelming domestic form beforehand, where he had just one assist from ten top-flight outings.
Having found the back of the net in his last three league matches, Barrow could make it four on the trot for the first time since 2020.
Milan Form Preview
Milan’s stuttering Champions League start has been a sharp contrast to their eye-catching domestic showings this season. The Rossoneri have won all but one of their opening eight Serie A matches to date, with a hard-fought 1-1 away draw against Juventus in mid-September being the solitary exception during that run.
Though they’ve won four consecutive league games since that stalemate, it’s worth noting that each of Milan’s last three Serie A triumphs have all come by a single-goal margin. Stefano Pioli’s men showed a tremendous character to pick themselves up from a 2-0 half-time deficit against Hellas Verona last time out to record a 3-2 home victory.
After amassing 13 triumphs from 16 Serie A travels in 2021 (D1, L2), Milan could equal the club’s record tally of 14 top-flight away wins across a single calendar year set in 1964. Another victory here would be a good omen, as the last time the Rossoneri won eight of their inaugural nine Serie A fixtures, they went on to claim the title back in 1954/55.
Player to watch: Zlatan Ibrahimovic
Zlatan Ibrahimovic has overcome his physical problems and could return to Pioli’s starting line-up against one of his favorite Serie A opponents. The 40-year-old striker has racked up five top-flight goals for Milan against Bologna, only scoring more for the Rossoneri versus Inter and Roma.
Ibra has had a rough time this season, taking part in just two Serie A matches so far, with his strike against Lazio in mid-September remaining his lone goal contribution in Italy’s top-flight to date.
Bologna vs AC Milan Predicted Line-ups
Bologna (3-4-2-1): Lukasz Skorupski; Adama Soumaoro, Luis Binks, Arthur Theate; Lorenzo De Silvestri, Nicolas Dominguez, Mattias Svanberg, Aaron Hickey; Roberto Soriano, Musa Barrow; Marko Arnautovic.
AC Milan (4-2-3-1): Ciprian Tatarusanu; Davide Calabria, Simon Kjaer, Fikayo Tomori, Fode Ballo-Toure; Sandro Tonali, Franck Kessie; Alexis Saelemaekers, Rade Krunic, Rafael Leao; Zlatan Ibrahimovic.