Serie A Preview: Milan vs Bologna – Team News, Line-ups & Prediction | OneFootball

Sunday’s Serie A action closes out at Stadio San Siro as Milan and Bologna lock horns in a repeat of last season’s Coppa Italia final. Revenge will be at the forefront of Milan’s mind, who started the new campaign with a whimper rather than a bang.

Victory was the bare minimum Milan fans were expecting from Massimiliano Allegri on his second Serie A debut at the club. However, newly promoted Cremonese stunned the Rossoneri 2-0 at this stadium on the opening weekend. Optimism somewhat waned after that unfathomable loss.

Despite two disallowed goals, Milan bounced back in the following round, beating Lecce 2-0 at Stadio Via del Mare. Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Christian Pulisic were on the scoresheet as the Rossoneri got off the mark in 2025/26. Seeking a second consecutive win, they will be out to settle the account with Bologna.

Vincenzo Italiano couldn’t replicate Thiago Motta’s success in Serie A as the Rossoblu went from a 5th-place finish in 2023/24 to an underwhelming 9th place in his first season in charge. However, he outshone his predecessor, halting Bologna’s 51-year wait for Coppa Italia glory. Indeed, his side stunned Milan 1-0 in the grand final last term.

In doing so, Bologna denied Milan a chance to qualify for the UEFA Europa League, leaving the seven-time European champions without European football this season. Therefore, there’s a score to be settled this weekend.

Match Preview

Milan

Milan never won two of their opening three matches of a Serie A campaign during Allegri’s four seasons in charge between 2010 and 2014. The 58-year-old manager can now buck that negative trend. Otherwise, the Rossoneri would be at risk of losing back-to-back home outings at the start of a new league season for the first time in 13 years.

With that in mind, Bologna’s visit doesn’t bode well. For context, Milan have lost two of their three encounters against the Renato Dall’Ara outfit in 2025 (W1). Against this backdrop, Allegris’ charges have dominated this fixture in Serie A, losing just one of their last 19 league meetings with the Rossoblu (W14, D4).

Further encouragement comes from Milan’s sterling home run against this opposition. They have not lost any of their last nine top-flight clashes against Bologna at San Siro (W7, D2), including a 3-1 victory in the corresponding fixture in the 2024/25 season. Eventually, it may all come down to firepower. Each of Milan’s last four games has seen the winning team score precisely two goals.

Bologna

Like Milan, Bologna delivered a mixed bag of performance in the opening two Serie A rounds. After a narrow 1-0 defeat to Gian Piero Gasperini’s Roma on matchday one, they finished on the favorable end of the same scoreline in a home match against Como on the eve of the international break.

Talismanic winger Riccardo Orsolini scored a second-half winner to end Bologna’s underwhelming four-game losing streak in Serie A. However, Bologna’s barren run in the first half remains an issue for the Rossoblu. They have failed to get on the scoresheet before halftime in their last eight league games.

Italiano’s next task is to find a cure for Bologna’s travel sickness. His men have lost three consecutive Serie A encounters on the road for the first time since 2020, casting significant doubt on their hopes of taking three points at San Siro for the first time since January 2016. Italiano himself must be anxious about this trip, having lost six of his eight career meetings with Allegri (W1, D1).

Team News

Milan will be without standout performer Rafael Leao and summer signing Ardon Jashari, as both are nursing injuries. With the Portuguese superstar on the sidelines, deadline-day arrival Christopher Nkunku could make his Serie A debut. Moreover, there’s a good chance that Adrien Rabiot could take Youssouf Fofana’s place in the midfield.

On the other hand, Bologna cannot call upon several first-team stars. In addition to marquee signing Ciro Immobile, Italiano cannot count on Emil Holm, Nicolo Casale, Tommaso Pobega, and Ibrahim Sulemana. Newcomer Jonathan Rowe will likely start on the bench, with Santiago Castro expected to lead the line.

Milan vs Bologna Potential Starting Line-ups

Milan (3-5-2): Maignan; Tomori, Gabbia, Pavlovic; Saelemaekers, Loftus-Cheek, Modric, Rabiot, Estupinan; Pulisic, Nkunku.

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

Milan vs Bologna Prediction

Without the distraction of European football, Milan can fully focus on Serie A. That could give them a crucial edge over Bologna, who will take on Aston Villa in their Europa League opener next week. A single goal could make the difference as we back the home side to clinch three precious points here.