Bologna vs. AC Milan: Serie A Match Preview, Odds & Prediction

Thursday night's matchup between Bologna and AC Milan, two teams vying for a spot in the top four, is the long-awaited rematch of a Serie A match that was postponed four months ago.

Both teams are tied on points; a victory in their next game will allow them to recover from last weekend's defeat.

Previous Matches and head-to-head

After a disastrous European elimination (they lost the Champions League playoff match against an injured Feyenoord) and an unnecessary 2-1 loss to Torino on Saturday, Milan's week took a turn for the worst.

Malick Thiaw became the second Milan player in club history to score two own goals against the same side in a single season; he joins the great Franco Baresi as the only player to do so. Christian Pulisic had a penalty saved, and Milan left Turin without a goal.

The Rossoneri continued their inconsistency since winning the Supercoppa Italiana, and they had a painful encounter. Pulisic missed a penalty attempt, and Vanja Milinkovic-Savic made many saves.

This tournament was an excellent way for Sergio Conceicao to kick off his reign, but now his team is eight points behind fourth-place Juventus in the quest to qualify for the Champions League.

Concerningly, they have lost four of their previous five away matches in all competitions (two in Serie A and two in Europe) before traveling to Emilia-Romagna to play the game they have at hand.

Though they are now in fourth place, Milan will face their beloved Bologna team in their subsequent league encounter. The giants from the second city have never lost against Bologna, winning 13 of their past 14 matches. This is the longest active winning run for the club.

To add insult to injury, Milan has won the past 18 meetings between Bologna and Milan at Stadio Dall'Ara. This losing streak began in 2002.

Both the Emilian team and their guests are involved in a multi-club race for European spots; the match was initially scheduled for October but was postponed due to bad weather.

Their league unbeaten record ended on Saturday with a 2-0 loss to local rivals and Serie A strugglers Parma, costing them some ground.

Vincenzo Italiano's squad is in eighth place, slightly behind the leading candidates for entry into UEFA's elite league. Despite being one of only three clubs to remain undefeated from the beginning of 2025, they are in eighth place.

Following last season's surprise top-five finish, Bologna is determined to pass Fiorentina and go closer to Lazio and Juventus to qualify for the Champions League.

On Thursday, they will face Milan at the Dall'Ara. They have lost just once in the entire season, and a victory would be a vast improvement.

Bologna x AC Milan Team News

Although they have been following individualized training plans, Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Kyle Walker will not be fit to play for Milan in midweek despite working towards injury returns.

After Emerson Royal's injury, Alex Jimenez may get the nod to start right back in Walker's absence; however, Davide Bartesaghi and Filippo Terracciano are also in the running.

After a few missteps, Sergio Conceicao may reorganize his so-called "Fab Four," benching Christian Pulisic, Joao Felix, or Rafael Leao in pursuit of consistency; Santiago Gimenez, the Mexican striker, should maintain his starting position.

Jens Odgaard, who returned to training ahead of schedule and might be selected on the bench, means that Bologna is down to only Emil Holm.

After Sunday's loss to Parma, Vincenzo Italiano may adjust his starting lineup in preparation for Cagliari's visit to the Dall'Ara.  Both goalkeeper Lukasz Skorupski and leading scorer Riccardo Orsolini are expected to make a triumphant comeback to the starting lineup.

Tommaso Pobega and Davide Calabria, who were Milan players before the Rossoneri, might retain their starting positions. Calabria served as club captain until last month.

Our Predictions

Full-time draw @ 3.35 on Sky247.ng

At home, Bologna is difficult to defeat, while Milan is on a terrible away losing streak. A low-scoring draw would benefit neither team as they try to catch up to Italy's top four. 

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