The five key battles that could win or lose the game for Milan against Bologna

AC Milan are hoping to make it two league wins on the spin when they host Bologna at San Siro, also aiming for some Coppa Italia revenge.

After losing to Cremonese in round one, Milan managed to get things back on track with a 2-0 win against Lecce last time out. They will have the cup final on their minds though, which was four months ago to the day in the capital.

During his pre-match press conference, Max Allegri made it clear that Bologna can no longer be seen as underdogs. He also stated that he’s very happy with how the team has worked lately, and he is expected to tweak the formation slightly.

Milan vs. Bologna: The five key battles

Tonight is without doubt a big game for Santiago Gimenez. The striker scored a last-minute goal for Mexico on international duty, and he will also have the cup final in mind given he was benched in favour of Luka Jovic, despite scoring a brace against the Rossoblu in the league meeting just a few days prior.

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After all the speculation about a summer move that did not happen, a goal would be a great way to silence the noise. He should battle young Czech centre-back Martin Vitik, who arrived during the summer window and could be the next Giovanni Sartori discovery.

There are two big duels in midfield too, starting with Adrien Rabiot against Lewis Ferguson. The former is expected to make his debut for Milan after signing on transfer deadline day, and his arrival has generated quite a buzz.

Ferguson meanwhile has established himself as an impressive midfielder in Italy, but he is yet to register a goal or an assist in six meetings against the Rossoneri. He has, in the past, been linked with a move to the Diavolo.

The other midfield battle concerns Luka Modric, who has already established himself as the first name on the team sheet. He is expected to play as a deep-lying playmaker in the middle of a three in tonight’s game, flanked by Youssouf Fofana and of course Rabiot.

Given that Bologna play with a 4-2-3-1, Modric will have to keep an eye on Jens Odgaard who likes to operate between the lines as a playmaker. It was reported back in May that Odgaard is a profile that the new sporting director Igli Tare likes, so it could be another audition of sorts.

Bologna’s main threat is Riccardo Orsolini, who has scored twice against Milan and has added an assist in 13 appearances. However, he has been on the losing end in nine of those games. He will operate on the right flank.

Strahinja Pavlovic will be the Rossoneri’s left-sided centre-back and will therefore face the Italian most frequently. He had a mixed international break with Serbia, including a couple of errors against England, and must fight to keep his spot given the rumours about Koni De Winter being tested in his role.

Finally, we end with a battle between the present and the past of Milan. Alexis Saelemaekers will be the right wing-back and he is enjoying a brilliant start to 2025-26 for club and country, while Juan Miranda should be Bologna’s left-back and he was reportedly a concrete transfer target before he headed for Emilia.