AC Milan vs Bologna
Italy – Serie A
Date: Saturday, 18 July 2020
Kick-off at 20:45 UK/ 21:45 CET
Venue: Stadio Giuseppe Meazza.
Match preview
Only Atalanta BC have been in better shape than Milan in Serie A back three weeks ago, with Stefano Pioli's side winning five and drawing two of their six games.
They have not exactly been an easy fixture, well, have a top-two side beat Juventus and Lazio in a row, and beat Roma and draw with Napoli.
Pioli's men continued their good run going on Wednesday with a 3-1 comeback victory over Parma at the San Siro thanks to second-half goals from Franck Kessie, Alessio Romagnoli and Hakan Çalhanoğlu.
Milan had to ride their luck at times, but that is now three consecutive home victory and a place in the top seven now seems a formality, the Rossoneri holding six points in Sassuolo with five matches remaining.
However, one fluke game against Sassuolo, which has its own look impressive late, so that Pioli will know the importance of staying on track with another victory this weekend.
Bologna head into the match on the back of successive draws over Parma and Napoli, with Musa Barrow nets late to snatch a point in their final fixture.
Rossoblu are exactly in the middle of the table, 10 points behind Milan in the final of the Europa League places and 13 points above the relegation zone.
Anything less than a win on Saturday would kill their slim European hopes, then, but Sinisa Mihajlovic will be quite happy with his campaign regardless.
Bologna had a pretty good away record, too, lost only two of their last nine matches, with victory over Roma, Napoli and Inter Milan during the run.
Milan have won three in a row at San Siro, though, and have won seven of their last eight meetings with Bologna, the other drawing.
Team News
AC Milan
Stefano Pioli will welcome back winger Alexis Saelemaekers, who returns after serving a suspension. However, the host will continue to be without the services of Mateo Musacchio, Samu Castillejo and Leo Duarte, while Lucas Paqueta also expected to lose because of injury.
No significant changes are expected from the manager given the run of form that the team has been in lately. There was no looking past Gianluigi Donnarumma in goal for the Rossoneri. Simon Kjaer, who just signed a new contract with the club, will partner skipper Alessio Romagnoli in the heart of the Milan defense.
Andrea Conti has been preferred at right back for a series of matches now, but failed to deliver. So, there is a good chance that Davide Calabria replaced him on Saturday, while Theo Hernandez should continue on the opposite side.
Ismael Bennacer | Kaat Bennahid was benched for the previous game against Parma. Algeria must reclaim his place in the double pivot midfield, along with partner-in-crime Kessie Franck, who scored the last time. Hakan Çalhanoğlu, who also scored against Parma, will look to create opportunities for his teammates on the role of No. 10.
The back Saelemaekers must be turned back on the right side while the in-form man ante rebić also had to return to the upper side of the left wing. Spearhead the Milan attack will be seasoned striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
Possible Lineup (4-2-3-1): Donnarumma; Calabria, Kjaer, Romagnoli, Hernandez; Kessie, Bennacer | Kaat Bennahid; Saelemaekers, Calhanoglu, Rebic; Ibrahimovic
Bologna
Sinisa Mihajlovic has only two injury concerns heading into the fixture against his former employers AC Milan. Federico Santander and Jerdy Schouten was the only player who will be available for selection for the Rossoblu for a trip to Milan.
Just like his colleague, Mihajlovic also tend to refrain from making a number of changes to the side that held Napoli to a 1-1 draw last time out. Łukasz Skorupski should be the one to keep wicket Bologna and is likely to be people who are busy considering the form that Milan have been in lately.
Ibrahima Mbaye and Mitchell Dijks should continue as the two full-backs on the right and left sides, respectively. Danilo once again the possibility to partner Takehiro Tomiyasu in the heart of Bologna's defense, with the latter being used as a central defender in the last game.
The veteran midfielder Gary Medel will screen the backline started as the deepest of the three midfielders for the visitors. He will be flanked by a 22-year-Nicolas Dominguez and Roberto Soriano, who has scored four goals and created six more in Serie A this season.
Leading scorer and assist-provider Riccardo Orsolini left on the bench in the last game and may once again find himself among the substitutes by Andreas Skov Olsen likely to get the nod on the right wing, while Musa Barrow, who scored the equalizer against Napoli, is set to be maintained in to the left. Rodrigo Palacio should continue as the lone striker.
Possible Lineup (4-3-3): Skorupski; Mbaye, Tomiyasu, Danilo, Dijks; Dominguez, Medel, Soriano; Skov Olsen, Palacio, Barrow
Prediction
AC Milan continued their good form with a 3-1 win at home against Parma, while Bologna drew with Napoli in midweek.
Milan are now sixth in the league table with Napoli, while Bologna 10 points back.
Both sides played intense, attacking football, so this should be a very competitive match with the host is more likely to win.
Prediction: AC Milan 2 - 1 Bologna
