Bologna Vs. AC Milan Prediction: Hunting For European Tickets At Stadio Renato Dall'Ara
JAKARTA - Two top Serie A teams will face each other on Thursday night 27 February or Friday morning WIB at Stadio Renato Dall'Ara, in a postponed match that was postponed four months ago. Bologna and AC Milan, who have the same number of points, must win this match in order to remain competitive in the hunt for tickets to the Champions League next season.
AC Milan had a bad week after being knocked out of European competition in a disappointing way. They lost their lead against Feyenoord in the Champions League playoffs, even though the opposing team was hit by an injury crisis. The defeat was exacerbated by a 2-1 defeat to Torino in Serie A at the end of last week.
One of the most highlighted moments in the match against Torino was Malick Thiaw who scored an own goal for the second time this season against the same opponent. Interestingly, only club legend Franco Baresi has experienced a similar incident in AC Milan's history. In addition, Christian Pulisic failed to execute a penalty after his shot was saved by Torino goalkeeper Vanja Milinkovic-Savic.
This poor result further complicates Milan's position in the hunt for Champions League tickets. With a difference of eight points from Juventus who are in fourth place, Sergio Conceicao's team must immediately return to winning ways. However, their recent away record is quite worrying, with four defeats to the last five matches in all competitions.
Even so, Milan have an impressive record against Bologna. The Rossoneri were unbeaten in their last 17 meetings in Serie A with this Emilia-Romagna home team. In fact, they have won 13 of them since Bologna's last defeat in 2016.
On the other hand, Bologna also suffered a setback after suffering a shock 2-0 defeat to local rival Parma last weekend. Prior to that, Bologna was one of only three teams unbeaten since early 2025. With their current position in eighth place, Bologna still has a great opportunity to win tickets to Europe next season.
If Italy gets additional rations for next season's Champions League, then fourth place can be a requirement to qualify for Europe's elite competition. Therefore, Bologna wants to get up immediately and take advantage of this home game to get full points.
However, history did not side with them. Bologna last defeated AC Milan at Stadio Renato Dall'Ara in 2002. Since then, they have always had difficulty getting positive results against the Milan giants.
AC Milan
Milan still cannot be strengthened by Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Kyle Walker, both of whom are still undergoing injury recovery programs. With Walker and Emerson Royal absent, right-back positions are likely to be filled by Alex Jimenez. In addition, Davide Bartesaghi and Filippo Terracciano also have the opportunity to play.
Coach Sergio Conceicao may change his attacking formation. One of Christian Pulisic, Joao Felix, or Rafael Leao could be backed up to provide more balance in Milan's game. Mexican striker Santiago Gimenez is likely to remain trusted to fill the front lines.
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Bologna
In the Bologna camp, only Emil Holm is still injured. Jens Odgaard has recovered faster than expected and could enter the squad for this match.
After losing to Parma, Vincenzo Italiano will probably make some changes to his line-up. The main goalkeeper, Lukasz Skorupski, is expected to return to the goalkeeper's position, while the club's top scorer, Riccardo Orsolini, is likely to join the starting XI to increase the team's fighting power.
In addition, former Milan players, Tommaso Pobega and Davide Calabria, could still find a place in Bologna's core team to face their former club.
Milan has an impressive record against Bologna and will come determined to return to winning ways. However, Bologna is a team that is difficult to beat at home and has suffered only one defeat at Stadio Renato Dall'Ara so far this season.
If Milan were able to overcome their inconsistencies and make good use of their front line quality, they could take home the three points. However, Bologna also has the potential to provide surprises, especially with full support from its supporters.
Bologna Performance In Serie A:
Win vs Empoli (2-0)
Series vs Udinese (1-1)
Win vs Lazio (2-1)
Draw vs Napoli (0-0)
Win vs Atalanta (2-1)
Defeat vs Parma (0-2)
Bologna Performance In All Competitions:
Series vs Atalanta (1-1)
Win vs Torino (2-1)
Win vs Genoa (2-0)
Series vs Lecce (0-0)
Win vs Verona (3-1)
Defeat vs Parma (0-2)
AC Milan's performance in Serie A:
Losing vs Inter Milan (0-2)
Win vs Salernitana (3-2)
Series vs Udinese (1-1)
Win vs Verona (2-1)
Win vs Empoli (2-0)
Defeat vs Torino (1-2)
AC Milan Performance In All Competitions:
Win vs Monza (3-0)
Win vs Lazio (2-0)
Defeat vs Feyenoord (1-2)
Win vs Salernitana (3-2)
Series vs Udinese (1-1)
Defeat vs Torino (1-2)
Bologna (4-2-3-1): Skorupski; Calabria, Beukema, Funny, Miranda; Freuler, Moro; Orsolini, Pobega, Ndoye; Castro
AC Milan (4-2-3-1): Maignan; Jimenez, Tomori, Pavlovic, Hernandez; Fofana, Musah; Pulisic, Reijnders, Leao; Gimenez
Score Prediction: Bologna 1-2 AC Mila