AC MILAN vs. BOLOGNA: MATCH PREVIEW

Home sweet home. After a busy stretch on the road, with three of their last four games away, the Rossoneri are back in front of their fans at San Siro for the first of three consecutive home games. First up is AC Milan vs. Bologna on Serie A Matchday 9, a midweek chance to build on wins over Atalanta and Udinese. Get ready for the 6:30 PM CET kickoff with our Match Preview.

LATEST FROM MILANELLO
The win in Udine on Matchday 8 did more than strengthen AC Milan's position in the Champions League spots. It showed the team’s ability to overcome adversity at a traditionally difficult venue, despite a long list of absentees. There were valuable contributions from players who have had fewer minutes this season, some of them playing in unfamiliar roles: Bartesaghi, Tomori, Diawara, Jashari, and Omari Hutchinson. With the derby on the horizon, further rotation to Rúben Amorim's starting XI is likely, although the pool of available players should remain unchanged from the Udinese game, which also saw Ruben Loftus-Cheek pick up a knock late on.

LATEST FROM BOLOGNA
Bologna has found form since turning to Raffaele Palladino after picking up two points from its opening four league games under Domenico Tedesco. Under the former Monza and Atalanta coach, the team has a perfect away record, winning at both Lecce (2-1) and Cagliari (2-0), with several players standing out. In Sardinia, for example, Nicolò Casale scored his first goal for Bologna. With Holm, Orsolini, and Piccoli still unavailable and three games in a week to consider, Palladino has decisions to make over his starting lineup. He is unlikely, however, to stray far from the 3-4-3 that has delivered seven points from the last four league games, with the only defeat coming against Inter at the Dall'Ara.

TIME MACHINE: AC MILAN vs. BOLOGNA

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PRE-MATCH NUMBERS

• This will be the 157th Serie A meeting between the two sides, with the Rossoneri leading the head-to-head record with 76 wins to Bologna's 39, alongside 41 draws. AC Milan has recorded more top-flight wins only against Roma and Fiorentina than against Bologna, having won the last three meetings in all competitions. This will be the fifth time the two sides have met on a Wednesday, most recently on February 8th, 2017, when AC Milan beat Bologna 1-0 at the Dall'Ara despite being reduced to nine men.
• Following wins over Atalanta and Udinese, AC Milan has the chance to win three consecutive league matches for the first time in 2026. The Rossoneri last achieved that feat between November and December 2025, beating Inter, Lazio and Torino. AC Milan has also won all three home league matches so far in 2026/27, against Venezia, Lecce and Atalanta, and could win its first four home matches of a Serie A season for the first time since 2021/22.
• Last season's AC Milan vs. Bologna saw Luka Modrić score his first Serie A goal. Against Udinese, the Croatian star set another milestone, becoming the player with the most assists in Serie A after turning 40, with four since his birthday (dating back to the 2004/05 season). In doing so, he surpassed another Serie A icon, Zlatan Ibrahimović. The Rossoneri's number 14 will now face Lewis Ferguson, one of the two players alongside him in the top three for line-breaking passes through the opening eight matchdays. Modrić has completed 91 to Ferguson's 99, with Como's Ramón between them.

WHERE TO WATCH AC MILAN vs. BOLOGNA
In Italy, the match will be broadcast live on DAZN. Viewers in other countries can check the "Where to Watch AC Milan on TV" section under "Abroad" for broadcast information. Follow the coverage on the club's social media channels, acmilan.com, and the AC Milan Official App.

LATEST FROM SERIE A
The experienced Juan Luca Sacchi, a 42-year-old official from the Macerata refereeing section, will take charge at San Siro. This will be his seventh Serie A game involving AC Milan and his first since April 11th, 2025 (Udinese 0-4 AC Milan). Baccini and Dei Giudici will be the assistant referees, with Colombo as fourth official. Giua will be on VAR duty, with Paterna as his assistant.

Matchday 9, the first midweek round of the season, began on Tuesday, October 27th, with Sassuolo 2-6 Lazio, Roma 4-2 Cagliari, and Torino 1-3 Como. Alongside AC Milan vs. Bologna, Parma vs. Udinese and Venezia vs. Inter kick off at 6:30 PM CET today. Monza vs. Napoli and Genoa vs. Juventus follow at 8:45 PM CET. The round concludes on Thursday, October 29th, with Frosinone vs. Lecce (6:30 PM CET) and Fiorentina vs. Atalanta (8:45 PM CET).

The standings: Lazio* 25; Inter 22; Roma* 21; Como* 20; AC Milan 18; Frosinone and Juventus 14; Torino* and Cagliari* 13; Napoli 11; Atalanta 10; Lecce 9; Bologna and Sassuolo* 8; Monza and Genoa 7; Udinese, Fiorentina and Parma 4; Venezia 3.
^{(* = one additional game played)}

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