Milan vs Bologna: Match preview, predicted lineups and predictions.

Milan will host Roberto Donadoni’s Bologna F.C. on Sunday evening after a spiteful 2-0 loss against HNK Rijeka in the final Europa League group stage match. Although that loss didn’t hurt, in terms of the group position, but it still doesn’t feel so good either.

Rino’s men have secured only 1 point out of possible 6 through two games thus far, and by possible, I mean possible in every sense. Benevento’s match should have been an easy win and Rijeka’s shouldn’t be any different.

But, its football and all we, the fans, journalists, keyboard warriors, and homegrown legends who never made it to the local team but have hundred times more knowledge than the managing staff of an elite club (Yes, for me, Milan is still an elite club. Its just a rough patch nothing more), can do is either get on with another #EverymanagerOUT hashtag or we can be patient and support what we have got. More often that not, players do need their fans to put on a good performance. Benevento’s loss was something you don’t see everyday. In the last minute and the keeper scoring the equaliser is something really rare and we could’ve won that easily. Rijeka was a different story.

Our hot take from that loss is that the 3 men defence should be avoided, which was said by the manager in the after match presser as well. On Sunday, Milan will host Bologna, sitting just below us, with no point difference (21 each). This is a team who have won 12/21 points away from home and Milan are suffering at home this season.

Rino wants his men to bounce back from previous results and end this negative run at home. We will expect a strong starting lineup with Hakan Çalhanoğlu still sidelined due to injury. I would like to see Silva getting more minutes Most likely Gattuso will go with a 4-3-3 with Kessie, Montolivo and Bonaventura in the middle with Kalinic leading the attack. Gattuso did reply when he was asked about Andre Silva with “Andre Silva has great qualities. We haven't seen his best so far, maybe because of me or because of the team. I demand more from him because he can do more, like all other players.”

Predicted lineup:

Gianluigi Donnarumma; Ignazio Abate, Mateo Musacchio, Leonardo Bonucci, Ricardo Rodriguez; Franck Kessié, Riccardo Montolivo, Giacomo Bonaventura; Suso, Nikola Kalinic, Fabio Borini.

Prediction:

I would like to see the guys playing with some passion, so optimistically it would be a 3-1 win.