AC Milan host Bologna in Serie A on Saturday as they look to bounce back from a minor setback last time out. Bologna are still seeking their first win of the season and should find things difficult at the home of the champions.
AC Milan's title defence has not started the way they would have wanted having earned a win and a draw from their opening two matches. The good news is that it is still early days in the season and they have plenty of time to get things right.
Having begun their campaign with a 4-2 victory over Udinese, AC Milan failed to match that goalscoring feat as they were held to a 1-1 draw at Atalanta last time out. Manager Stefano Pioli should have no complaints about the result as both teams appeared evenly matched.
One concern for Pioli though will be the number of missed opportunities as they had several chances to score. The manager will be hoping to get things right on Saturday as AC Milan return to the San Siro where they are unbeaten in their last eight Serie A matches, claiming six wins in that run.
Bologna earned their first point of the season as they played out a 1-1 draw with Verona in their previous fixture. They struck early through Marko Arnautovic but were unable to hold on and were pegged back before the break.
It has been a relatively tough start to the season for Bologna, who suffered a 2-1 defeat at Lazio in their opening fixture. However, having gotten some points on the table, manager Sinisa Mihailovic will be keen to kick on from there.
The problem for Bologna is that they struggle away from home having claimed just one win from their last 11 Serie A matches on the road.
Their task on Saturday will be made harder with the absence of Riccardo Orsolini who impressed against Verona but was shown a red card late in the contest.
How the bookies view it
AC Milan are considered overwhelming favourites among the bookies and are priced at 7/19 with SBK. A victory for Bologna is valued at 9/1 by BetVictor while a draw is set at odds of 24/5 with SBK.
Recent head to head
AC Milan are unbeaten in the last 13 matches against Bologna, claiming 11 wins in that run. They claimed a 4-2 victory in the first meeting in Bologna last season before battling to a 0-0 draw in the reverse fixture.
Players to watch
There have been questions about Rafael Leao’s form this week and the forward is likely to be fired up on Saturday. He was on target in the win over Bologna last season and is priced at 15/8 by Paddy Power to find the net.
Marko Arnautovic remains the biggest attacking threat for Bologna and is responsible for their two goals this season. The striker is priced at odds of 19/5 to get on the score sheet on Saturday.
Anything else catch the eye?
Neither side has been convincing at the back this season and given the quality in each attack, both teams could be backed to score at 22/23 with SBK. AC Milan produced over 3.5 goals in their last home fixture and a repeat is priced at 33/20 by Unibet while also offering 8/13 for over 2.5 goals.
AC Milan are expected to be comfortable on Saturday and could be tipped in the -1 handicap market at 20/21 with Coral.
This Serie A match between AC Milan and Bologna will be played on Aug 27, 2022 and kick off at 19:45. Check below for our tipsters best AC Milan vs Bologna prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
