Milan come into this clash in strong form, having won four of their last five matches in all competitions

9 May 2025 - 3:59 pm
Milan come into this clash in strong form, having won four of their last five matches in all competitions

AC Milan and Bologna meet at the San Siro in Friday night’s Italian Serie A clash before facing off again in the Coppa Italia final a few days later. Only five points separate both teams as they make a push for the European places. A keenly contested affair is anticipated here with goals expected.

Milan come into this clash in strong form, having won four of their last five matches in all competitions. Sergio Conceicao’s team claimed a 2-1 victory at Genoa in their previous Serie A fixture.

While things are looking up for AC Milan, their home form still needs improvement, having won just once in the last five matches at San Siro. At the heart of these problems is a defensive vulnerability that has seen them fail to keep a clean sheet in their last five home matches across all competitions.

Bologna’s fine campaign rolls on after playing out a 1-1 home draw with Juventus, which kept them firmly in the race for a top-four finish. Now unbeaten in 11 of their last 12 matches across all competitions, Vincenzo Italiano’s men are just one point off the top four.

Defensive lapses have been a problem for Bologna on their travels, having failed to keep a clean sheet in five of their last eight away matches. However, their attack more than makes up for those lapses as they have scored in eight of their last 10 Serie A matches.

AC Milan will be without Tammy Abraham, Youssouf Fofana, Warren Bondo and Riccardo Sottil due to injuries, while Rafael Leao is suspended. However, Christian Pulisic and Tijjani Reijnders are expected to start.

Dan Ndoye, Estanis Pedrola, and Emil Holm are unavailable for Bologna due to knocks. However, Thijs Dallinga, Remo Freuler and Riccardo Orsolini are all expected to start.

AC Milan: Maignan, Tomori, Gabbia, Pavlovic, Jimenez, Fofana, Loftus-Cheek, Hernandez, Pulisic, Reijnders, Jovic.

Bologna: Skorupski, Miranda, Lukumi, Beukema, De Silvestri, Freuler, Ferguson, Cambiaghi, Odgaard, Orsolini, Dallinga.