Can Milan close the gap on the leaders? Milan vs Bologna prediction
On October 28, 2026, as part of the ninth round of the Italian championship, Milan will face Bologna at the Giuseppe Meazza Stadium. The hosts sit fourth with 18 points and trail leaders Inter by four points, meaning dropped points could complicate their pursuit of the top spot. The visitors are gradually emerging from their crisis and will be looking to continue picking up points, relying on an organised defence.
Milan: wins restore confidence, but squad problems remain
After a painful 3-0 defeat to Bournemouth in the Europa League, Ruben Amorim's side quickly bounced back by beating Udinese away from home (2-0). Christian Pulisic opened the scoring as early as the sixth minute, while Omari Hutchinson doubled the advantage after the break. Earlier, the Rossoneri had also defeated Atalanta (3-2) and Red Bull Salzburg (4-0), although their clash with Sassuolo ended in an unexpected 1-1 draw.
Amorim continues to deal with a number of absences: Matteo Gabbia, Alexis Saelemaekers and Samuel Chukwueze remain sidelined. However, newcomers Omari Hutchinson and Sanhun Diawara have made excellent use of their opportunities, with the defender particularly impressing the coach on his first start at Serie A level. Diawara's strong performance in an unfamiliar defensive-wing role could help the team compensate for its absences, while the congested schedule will surely require Amorim to continue rotating his squad.
Bologna: solid defence against a struggling attack
Raffaele Palladino's team is gradually turning things around after a poor start to the season. In the previous round, Bologna defeated Cagliari 2-0 in response to their 3-1 home loss to Inter. Before that, the Rossoblu beat Lecce (2-1), drew with Torino (1-1) and lost to Napoli (0-1), so the team is still lacking consistency.
The main issue ahead of the meeting with Milan will be the absence of Roberto Piccoli, who injured his right thigh and will be sidelined for at least three to four weeks. Winger Riccardo Orsolini and defender Emil Holm are also unavailable. At the same time, Bologna's defence looks fairly reliable: the team has conceded ten goals in eight rounds and kept its first clean sheet of the season against Cagliari. Their organised defensive play could become the visitors' main weapon against one of the league leaders.
Match facts and head-to-head record
- In four of Milan's last six home matches against Bologna, at least one team failed to score.
- At least three goals were scored in four of the last five Serie A meetings between these sides.
- Milan have collected 18 points after eight rounds and trail leaders Inter by four points.
Do Milan have enough quality to win? Milan vs Bologna prediction
Milan go into the match as favourites thanks to their more convincing results and superior individual quality. The hosts have already shown that they can recover quickly from setbacks, while Hutchinson and Diawara's successful performances have given the coaching staff more options. However, injuries and the need to manage a congested fixture list could prevent Milan from maintaining a high level throughout the match.
Bologna are unlikely to open up unnecessarily, especially given the absence of their first-choice striker Piccoli. The visitors may rely on a compact defence and look to punish their opponents' mistakes, but their attacking absences reduce their chances of mounting a genuine challenge for the win. At the same time, the head-to-head statistics leave the door open for a high-scoring encounter, although the choice of a specific bet will depend on whether Milan can break through the opposition's defence early.
