Bologna vs AC Milan prediction: ITALY: Serie A betting tips on match 2023-08-20 18:45.
After a respectable ninth-placed finish last term gave Bologna only a second top-half campaign in a Serie A (SA) season dating back to 2015/16, the RossoblĂą are now hoping to finally take that next step and break into the European picture. However, 1990 still remains the last time the club got direct entry to a major European competition via their league placing, so a fast start looks vital here.
In an effort to put that right, head coach, and ex-Inter Milan player, Thiago Motta has brought in over €26m worth of talent so far. But apart from recent UEFA Europa Conference League semi-finalist Dan N’doye, all of those arriving for a fee are defensive players. Tightening up the defence could well boost Bologna’s chances of going seven competitive matches unbeaten, and recording just a second clean sheet in ten SA games in the process.
That’s always likely to be difficult against AC Milan, who Bologna will meet on the opening day for the second time in four campaigns. They’ve spent over four times as much as Bologna to date, with a focus on renovating the central midfield and right flank. This could create some intriguing duels given Bologna’s focus on defence, as Milan look to start off on a winning note for the fourth year running.
If a fast start translates to a half-time lead for Milan, their fans will probably be going home happy. That’s because Milan have gone on to win on the last ten occasions they’ve led at the interval in top-flight visits to Bologna! Those results form part of Milan’s excellent record from any post-war SA H2H to see them lead at the interval (W42, D6, L2).
Key battle: Bologna’s Sam Beukema – a €9m centre back from Alkmaar – has already racked up his first clean sheet for the Rossoblù, with a Coppa Italia shutout against Cesena (W 2-0). For his SA baptism, he’ll be up against Milan new boy Samuel Chukwueze, and the €20m arrival from Villarreal saw half of his six La Liga goals last term act as equalisers for 1-1.
Hot stat: Milan ended 2022/23 with a perfect record (W7) after netting first in away games – the only team with that distinction.