Bologna and AC Milan both missed the chance to move into sixth place of the Italian Serie A after losing to lower-ranked teams last weekend. Bologna manager Vincenzo Italiano was frustrated with the penalty decision that led to a 1-0 defeat at Parma, but admitted his team lacked energy and pace in their first competitive loss of 2025.
Italiano will be hoping for a strong response here, with a victory over Milan – who they are level on 41 points with – being vital to boost their confidence ahead of another important meeting in May. Bologna’s strong home form, with six wins from their last eight Serie A games, including a 1-0 victory over Fiorentina, means they will be hopeful of getting a positive result against Milan.
Milan’s season has taken a downward turn, with some publications now calling it a ‘crisis.’ They suffered a 2-1 loss to Torino last weekend, leading to a meeting between the club directors and head coach Sérgio Conceição, where they discussed a series of “unforced errors” in recent weeks.
One key reason Milan has struggled to break into the European spots is their poor record away against top teams. Out of the 12 teams with at least 30 points after 25 matches, Milan have only beaten one away from home, and that win was a 1-0 victory over Inter at San Siro back in September.
