AC Milan vs Bologna Preview & Odds – Jan 2024
Bologna Hitting Rough Patch
Rossoneri on Four Game Serie A Winning Streak
AC Milan may not be out of the Serie A title race just yet. The Rossoneri have won four league matches in a row and they’re within seven points of leaders Juventus.
Milan managed a comeback win over Udinese last weekend and they host Bologna on Saturday. BFC are hitting a rough patch and haven’t won any of their last four games. In our AC Milan vs Bologna preview, we’ll take a look at Milan’s chances to pick up a fifth straight Serie A win.
AC Milan vs Bologna
Location: Stadio San Siro, Milan, Italy
Day/Time:
Head-to-Head
AC Milan entered August’s matchup at Bologna as -105 soccer betting favorites. Olivier Giroud and Christian Pulisic scored in Milan’s 2-0 victory.
AC Milan vs Bologna previews note that the Rossoneri are unbeaten in their last 16 matches vs. Bologna, in all competitions. Two of the last four meetings have finished in draws, though.
Milan Scoring With Ease
AC Milan came from behind to defeat Udinese 3-2 on Saturday. Ruben Loftus-Cheek opened up the scoring for the Rossoneri but Udinese led 2-1 by the 63rd minute.
Luka Jovic came off the bench to head the ball in on the line and fellow substitute Noah Okafor scored a stoppage time winner for the Rossoneri. It’s Milan’s fourth straight Serie A victory and barring disaster they should qualify for the UEFA Champions League once again.
Milan has been scoring with ease lately, as they’ve found the net three times in each of their last three Serie A matches. At the moment, Olivier Giroud is tied for the assist lead in the Serie A player stats, with seven. The 37-year old is aging like a fine wine and is also the Rossoneri’s leading scorer, with 10 league goals. Jovic and Okafor have also had their moments off the bench.
Wingers Christian Pulisic and Rafael Leao are yet to score a Serie A goal in 2024. However, they command a lot of attention from opposing defenses.
Pulisic also has 11 goal contributions this season, with six goals and five assists. A few Rossoneri defenders are out injured at the moment, including Pierre Kalulu, Fikayo Tomori, and Malick Thiaw. Udinese did take advantage of some calamitous defending to score their second goal on Saturday. Ismael Bennacer and Samuel Chuklwueze are on international duty, while Tommaso Pobega is listed as doubtful.
Bologna Blow Lead
Bologna are still searching for their first win of 2024. On Sunday at Cagliari, Riccardo Orsolini scored a clever goal to put the Rossoblu ahead. However, Bologna blew their lead and ended up falling 2-1 in Sardinia.
They’re now winless in their last three Serie A matches and last four overall. Bologna are just two points outside of the top four but they’ve missed some big opportunities to climb up the Serie A table in recent weeks.
BFC enter the weekend in seventh place, with an 8-8-4 record. They’ve conceded six goals in their last three Serie A matches alone but only Juventus and Inter Milan have conceded fewer goals than Bologna this season. Thiago Motta’s side has played well at home but they can’t seem to pick up wins on the road.
The Rossoblu are 7-2-1 at the Stadio Renato Dall’Ara in Serie A this season but just 1-6-3 on the road. Orsolini and Joshua Zirkzee have been Bologna’s biggest scoring threats this season.
Bologna may have trouble keeping Zirkzee past the transfer deadline, as a host of big clubs appear interested in his services. The Dutch forward has scored seven goals and provided two assists this season. Alexis Saelemaekers, who’s on loan from AC Milan, is out injured this weekend, while Jesper Karlsson and Dan Ndoye are also injured.
Match Analysis & Odds
AC Milan vs Bologna previews note that the Rossoneri have won six of their last seven matches vs. Bologna at the San Siro. For Saturday’s match, AC Milan are -140 favorites and it’d mark their fifth straight win in Serie A. Giroud has managed a goal contribution in his last three games and he’ll continue to be the key man for Milan up top.
Bettors should stay on top of any updates on a Zirkzee transfer as it wouldn’t at all be surprising if he’s already played his last game for Bologna. Currently, Bologna are +430 underdogs and they’re going for their first win over Milan in over eight years. The Rossoblu are at serious risk of going four matches without a win.
A draw displays +280 odds for this one, while under 2.5 goals come in at -120 odds. Seven of AC Milan’s last eight Serie A games have finished with three or more goals. Plus they’ve scored three goals in three straight. Bettors can also take AC Milan -0.5, -1 at -115 odds and Bologna +0.5, +1 at -105.
For Serie A news, odds analysis, and more, visit Point Spreads Sports Magazine.
