Boasting an identical Serie A record to one another so far (W1, L1), AC Milan and Bologna square off at the San Siro searching for consistency at the start of this Serie A season.
Match News and Current Form
AC Milan went into the international break on the back of their first league win of Massimiliano Allegri’s second tenure, as they bounced back from a home defeat against Cremonese to beating Lecce 2-0 on the road. In four previous seasons under Allegri, the Rossoneri have remarkably never managed to win two of their opening three games of a Serie A campaign, so that’s the gauntlet he’ll be laying down to his players here. Coupled with that is Milan’s desire to avoid starting the season with back-to-back home league defeats for the first time in 13 years!
The San Siro is Bologna’s final away destination before they kick off their UEFA Europa League campaign away against Aston Villa, so they’ll be keen to generate some momentum. A 1-0 win over Como before the break did no harm on that front, especially as it halted a four-match losing streak in Serie A. Vincenzo Italiano’s men may not benefit from a tough away assignment here though, as they’ve lost their last three league trips in what is their worst such streak since July-October 2020.
Head-to-Head History
This will be the fourth H2H of this calendar year (ACM: W1, L2). Bologna earned bragging rights by winning the Coppa Italia final against Milan in May, but the Rossoneri have lost just one of the last 19 meetings in Serie A (W14, D4), and are unbeaten in nine such games on their own turf (W7, D2).
Hot Stats and Streaks
Each of Milan’s last four games have seen the winning side on the day score exactly twice.
No Serie A side had more shots than AC Milan across the first two rounds (38).
Bologna have failed to score before half-time in their last eight games.
Bologna boss Vincenzo Italiano has lost six of his eight career meetings against Massimiliano Allegri (W1, D1).
Key Players to Watch and Missing Players
Luka Modrić registered an assist against Lecce before the international break and his last two club goals have been first-half match openers. No Italian player across Europe’s top-five leagues has outscored Riccardo Orsolini since the start of 2022/23 (37), with one of those goals breaking the deadlock in last season’s corresponding fixture (L 3-1).
Ardon Jashari and Rafael Leão look set to be sidelined for Milan, while Bologna’s lengthy list of doubts is headlined by Ciro Immobile and Milan loanee Tommaso Pobega.
For all the latest team news, please check the Flashscore match centre.
Betting Analysis
This looks set to be an even contest, but with a strong record at the San Siro, backing Milan to win and both teams to score appears fairly safe.
Author: Ryan Fisher