Serie A Preview: Bologna vs Milan – Team News, Lineups & Prediction | OneFootball

Stadio Renato Dall’Ara forms the backdrop for a high-stakes Serie A showdown between mid-table Bologna and second-placed Milan. Both sides desperately need points in this fixture to bolster their seasonal goals.

Despite starting the season with high expectations, Bologna find themselves stranded in mid-table lethargy midway through the campaign. Sitting 10th in the standings after back-to-back losses to bottom-half Genoa and Fiorentina, Vincenzo Italiano’s men can ill-afford another slip-up here.

Indeed, last season’s Coppa Italia winners already trail sixth-placed Como by 11 points and could take the field low on confidence after a heartbreaking loss at Luigi Ferraris. Bologna squandered a two-goal advantage in a dismal 3-2 defeat to Daniele De Rossi’s side, casting further doubt on their European ambitions.

Speaking of shattered dreams, Milan’s pursuit of a landmark 20th Scudetto is in tatters, following a 1-1 draw at Roma last time out. Massimiliano Allegri’s side conceded another penalty, but Mike Maignan couldn’t bail them out this time. With Inter beating Cremonese on Sunday, the Rossoneri now sit eight points adrift of their bitter rivals.

Only a victory at Dall’Ara will keep Milan in the title picture, but their indifferent form in Emilia-Romagna doesn’t inspire confidence. Except for a 2-0 win in August 2023, they’ve failed to beat Bologna in two of their last three meetings at this venue (D1, L1).

Match Preview

Bologna

Despite their awful run of just two wins from their last 33 matches against the Rossoneri (D8, L22), Bologna can take heart from their recent results in this match-up. In addition to beating Milan in this corresponding fixture in 2024/25, Italiano’s side ran out 1-0 victors in last season’s Coppa Italia final.

However, they slipped to a narrow 1-0 loss at San Siro in August, failing to find the net for the first time in their last five clashes against Milan. Scoring has not been an issue for the Rossoblu lately, as most recently evidenced by a 3-0 rout of Maccabi Tel-Aviv in midweek UEFA Europa League action.

That said, Bologna’s recent form in Serie A has been nothing short of miserable, with Italiano’s side picking up just one win across their last ten league games (D3, L6). As if that’s not troubling enough, they are still waiting for their first home win in any competition since early December (D2, L3).

It’s equally worth noting that they’ve suffered four defeats in their last five Serie A outings at Dall’Ara (D1), scoring a miserable average of 0.6 goals per game.

Milan

Despite going unbeaten in all 21 Serie A matches since the opening-day loss to newly promoted Cremonese (W13, D8), Milan must play catch-up in Emilia-Romagna if they are to keep their Scudetto hopes alive. If it’s any consolation, they remain the only team in the division yet to lose an away game this season (W6, D5).

However, two draws across their last three Serie A travels paint a bleak picture. Another share of the spoils would probably inflict irreparable damage on Milan’s title quest. Avoiding that scenario will require Milan to rediscover their cutting edge in the final third, having netted precisely once in five of their last six league fixtures.

On the bright side, Allegri has restored fighting spirit at San Siro, with Milan rescuing a league-high 12 points after conceding first this term (W3, D3, L1). Furthermore, they have gone unbeaten in all 14 top-flight outings when breaking the deadlock (W10, D4), highlighting the importance of drawing first blood.

Team News

With Bologna’s defensive rock, Jhon Lucumi, still in the pits, Italiano is likely to turn to Trobjorn Heggem to fill the void. Meanwhile, Federico Ravaglia will replace starting goalkeeper Lukasz Skorupski, who must serve a two-game suspension after being sent off at the Marassi.

On the other hand, Santiago Gimenez remains the only notable absentee in the Milan camp. Despite signing Niclas Fullkrug to bolster his attacking options, Allegri is likely to stick with Rafael Leao and Christian Pulisic as his starting attacking pairing.

Bologna vs Milan Potential Starting Lineups

Bologna (4-2-3-1): Ravaglia; Zortea, Vitik, Heggem, Miranda; Freuler, Pobega; Orsolini, Odgaard, Cambiaghi; Castro.

Milan (3-5-2): Maignan; Tomori, Gabbia, De Winter; Saelemaekers, Ricci, Modric, Rabiot, Bartesaghi; Pulisic, Leao.

Bologna vs Milan Prediction

Despite their recent failures, Milan appear to be in far better shape than Bologna. Italiano’s men have lately been a thorn in Milan’s side, but we expect the visitors to complete their league double over the Rossoblu here.