BOLOGNA v AC MILAN: MATCH PREVIEW

It will be AC Milan's first game of the month as they take on Bologna on the road for matchday 23 of Serie A in a late kick-off. It's a big showdown in the fight for a spot in Europe, with the Rossoneri, who are second, coming up against a Bologna side who are eager to rejoin the battle for European qualification. Let's take a look at the game with our Match Preview.

LATEST FROM MILANELLO
AC Milan's structured lead-up to the Dall'Ara clash, featuring a rest day between training sessions, has kept the squad focused after a very positive January that secured them second place in the league. It's a position they'll be looking to defend in Emilia, as the Rossoneri are aiming to strengthen their claim on Champions League qualification. Allegri's squad will be put to the test as Alexis Saelemaekers is confirmed to be absent. On the right flank, Athekame and Loftus-Cheek will compete for that starting spot, with the Englishman also a potential option in the attacking pair. The situation in attack is yet to be determined: Leão isn't at his best but will be available (whether from the start or off the bench will be confirmed later), while Pulisic hasn't travelled with the team. The coaching staff will also take into account the ten-day break before the next game, following AC Milan v Como being postponed. Three players are one booking away from suspension: Athekame, Fofana, and Rabiot. 

"We've trained for three days, rested for one, then trained for another three days. We'll see if this is the right approach," commented Coach Allegri during his press conference. "We're up against a team who have just had a very strong Europa League win, but in the league they've only won one of their last ten games. They're not under pressure in the standings, but they'll be looking to redeem themselves after recent poor results. We'll have to put on a very focused performance against such an intense and aggressive team. What we've achieved so far has got us to where we are, but the challenges ahead still need to be conquered. In Bologna, we'll try to make some progress, and over the following ten days, we'll aim to recover players with minor injuries or issues".

LATEST FROM BOLOGNA
The Rossoblù come into this game following their impressive 3-0 Europa League victory over Maccabi Tel Aviv, a result that secured their spot in the playoff stages, where they will face the Norwegian side Brann. However, in Serie A, they haven't been performing as well, recording just one win from their last ten games (3-2 against Verona on 15 January), as well as three draws and six defeats. This has placed Bologna outside the Champions League places, and as mentioned by Allegri, Bologna will be keen to turn things around at home while they call on most of their squad. Skorupski, who has been suspended, will not be available (Ravaglia will be in goal instead), while Lucumí has been training with the squad recently, but he isn't physically ready for the match. De Silvestri also has not been called up for the game, while the newest signing, former Juventus player João Mário, will be part of the squad. Coach Italiano will also have to make several tough decisions, including whether to have Dallinga or Castro up front, Vitík or Casale in defence, and Moro or Freuler in midfield. Cambiaghi is one booking away from being suspended. 

PRE-MATCH STATS

• This marks the 156th match between AC Milan and Bologna, with the record favouring the Rossoneri (75 wins to 39, with 41 draws). In the last 20 league games against the Rossoblù, AC Milan have been unbeaten 19 times; the only exception to this was their most recent game at the Dall'Ara on 27 February. 
• No team in Europe's top five leagues has a longer active unbeaten run than AC Milan (21 games). The Rossoneri's longest streak within a single league campaign remains 23 games unbeaten in the 1992/93 season. A victory would mean that Allegri's side have reached 50 points after 23 matches, an achievement only reached twice in the three-points-for-a-win era, in 1995/96 and 2003/04. 
• This match features two of the five teams in Serie A with at least two players who have scored more than five goals this season: Orsolini (7) and Castro (6) for Bologna, and Pulisic (8) and Leão (6) for AC Milan. Bologna and AC Milan are also the only two teams this season to have gained at least ten points while also dropping at least ten points after taking the lead. Another interesting fact is that the Rossoneri have made the fewest substitutions in the league (82), while Bologna have made the most (109). 
• Mike Maignan, who recently renewed his contract until 2031, is the goalkeeper who has conceded the fewest goals relative to expected goals (9.3) this season among Europe's top five leagues: 17 conceded compared to 26.3 expected. Three current AC Milan players made their Serie A debuts against the rossoblù: Fikayo Tomori on 30 January 2021, and Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Christian Pulisic on 21 August 2023. 

WHERE TO WATCH BOLOGNA v AC MILAN
In Italy, the match will be broadcast live on DAZN. To watch it from another country, you can consult the section "Where to watch Milan on TV" under "Abroad". On Rossoneri channels, the focus will be on Milan TV's Matchday coverage: the live broadcast will begin at 20:00 and run up to kick off, followed by post-match interviews and Mister Allegri's press conference. Coverage on acmilan.com, the AC Milan Official App, the official Social channels, and WhatsApp is not to be missed.

LATEST FROM SERIE A
Bologna v AC Milan will be officiated by Gianluca Manganiello, a 44-year-old from the Pinerolo section, who has officiated ten AC Milan games, including Venezia 0-2 AC Milan most recently on 27 April 2025. He will be assisted by linesmen Rossi C. and Cavallina, Fourth Official Pezzuto, VAR Mazzoleni, and AVAR Ghersini.

The match at the Dall'Ara will close out matchday 23 of Serie A, which has already featured: Lazio 3-2 Genoa, Pisa 1-3 Sassuolo, Napoli 2-1 Fiorentina, Cagliari 4-0 Hellas Verona, Torino 1-0 Lecce, Como 0-0 Atalanta, Cremonese 0-2 Inter, Parma 1-4 Juventus, and Udinese 1-0 Roma.

Here are the current standings: Inter 55; AC Milan* 47; Napoli 46; Juventus 45; Roma 43; Como 41; Atalanta 36; Lazio and Udinese 32; Bologna* 30; Sassuolo 29; Cagliari 28; Torino 26; Genoa, Cremonese, and Parma 23; Lecce 18; Fiorentina 17; Pisa and Hellas Verona 14. ^{(* = teams that have played one less game)}

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