Aiming to follow up their European success in midweek with a much-needed league win, AC Milan visit in-form Bologna on Saturday afternoon.
The sides meet at Stadio Dall'Ara, with the Scudetto holders closing in on a Champions League semi-final but clinging onto a top-four spot in Serie A, while their hosts have won back-to-back games without conceding and are eyeing a top-six finish.
Match preview
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As seven-time European champions, Milan's current side drew upon decades of tradition on Wednesday, as they saw off first-time quarter-finalists Napoli in the first leg of an absorbing all-Italian Champions League tie.
Next week's return in Naples will kick off with the Rossoneri leading by a goal, after they nullified their Neapolitan counterparts and rode out several storms to emerge 1-0 winners thanks to Ismael Bennacer's breakaway goal, made by the fleet-footed Brahim Diaz.
Perhaps poised for an historic meeting with city rivals Inter Milan in the semi-finals - the Nerazzurri side of Milan lead Benfica by two and are in the same half of the draw - Stefano Pioli's men must now banish all thoughts of such an occasion and focus on securing a top-four domestic finish.
Ahead of fifth-placed Inter by a single point after their draw goalless draw with Empoli last week, a 22-point gap separates them from the Serie A summit with nine games to go, and with their title defence destined for failure, making sure of a Champions League return is now the priority.
Generally inconsistent outside Italy's second city, Milan did record a shock 4-0 victory over Napoli in their last away fixture, just after suffering consecutive defeats on the road.
While the Rossoneri last posted back-to-back away wins in October, this week's assignment would seem to provide a perfect opportunity to do so again: they are unbeaten in their last 16 league meetings with Bologna at the Dall'Ara, winning on 14 occasions.
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In all, Bologna have not won any of their last 14 Serie A matches against Milan, managing just two draws during that time, but recent form suggests such a wretched sequence could finally end on Saturday.
Former Inter midfielder Thiago Motta - recently linked with a return to San Siro this summer - has led them up the table during 2023, and under his watch they have averaged a healthy 1.6 points per game to sit eighth in the table.
Before Motta arrived in Emilia-Romagna, Bologna had taken six points from as many matches and looked destined for a season of struggle. Fast forward a few months, though, and last week's 2-0 defeat of Atalanta - secured via second-half strikes from Nicola Sansone and a revived Riccardo Orsolini - capped a superb spell for the revived Rossoblu.
Since the beginning of February, they have picked up 17 points, recording five wins and two draws - better than Milan over the same the period, and only Napoli, Juventus and Lazio have gained more.
After winning their last two games without conceding, Bologna now seek successive Serie A shut-outs for the first time since 1973, and having already kept clean sheets in each of their last three home fixtures, that seems eminently possible.
Team News
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After resting several key players against Empoli last time out in Serie A, Stefano Pioli may make wholesale changes to Milan's starting XI on Saturday, as next week's trip south to Naples takes precedence.
Malick Thiaw is likely to replace veteran defender Simon Kjaer in the visitors' back four, while Alexis Saelemaekers and the recently returned Pierre Kalulu should also feature for the visitors.
To preserve Olivier Giroud's legs, goal-shy striker Divock Origi is also set to be given another chance up front; only Zlatan Ibrahimovic remains sidelined.
Meanwhile, a knee injury suffered by Roberto Soriano in Bergamo could keep the Bologna midfielder out of action out of action for more than a month, and Thiago Motta must also make do without the suspended Riccardo Orsolini.
Those absences should see Michel Aebischer return on the right, replacing Soriano, and Marko Arnautovic's continued unavailability means Musa Barrow once again poses the Rossoblu's biggest attacking threat.
Barrow has been involved in the most goals of any Serie A player so far in April - one of his own and three assists - and will link up with Nicola Sansone.
Bologna possible starting lineup:
Skorupski; Posch, Lucumi, Soumaoro, Kyriakopoulos; Schouten, Dominguez; Aebischer, Ferguson, Barrow; Sansone
AC Milan possible starting lineup:
Maignan; Florenzi, Kalulu, Thiaw, Ballo-Toure; Vranckx, Pobega; Saelemaekers, De Ketelaere, Rebic; Origi
We say: Bologna 1-1 AC Milan
As Bologna have been brilliant on home soil and a much-changed Milan may be distracted by dreams of European glory, a share of the spoils could be the outcome. Well organised and offering a renewed challenge under Thiago Motta, the Rossoblu are capable of claiming a point against the outgoing champions.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Top tip
Jonathan O'Shea
