All you need to know about this coming game at the Dall'Ara
Victory! This is the word echoing in the Rossoneri's minds after the bitter defeat in Athens that put to an end AC Milan's journey in Europe League. A victory in Bologna to bounce back, to hold on to that precious fourth place and keep the team within reaching distance of third-placed Inter. Ready to host the Rossoneri are Filippo Inzaghi's Bologna, who will be fighting to take home precious points in the relegation battle. As we wait for kickoff, let's take a look a the most interesting pre-match stats and facts:
PREVIOUS ENCOUNTERS IN BOLOGnA
1- Bologna have failed to score in seven of the 12 home games against the Rossoneri in the Italian top-flight, managing to net only eight goals.
2- AC Milan haven't lost in any of the last 12 games played in Serie A at Bologna. The most recent win recorded by the home side is dated March 2002 (2-0).
RECENT FORM
3- AC Milan have lost only two of the 16 Serie A matches played on a Tuesday (8 wins and 6 draws), including the most recent 3-0 win away to Genoa, in October 2016.
GENERAL STATS
4- No team has scored more goals from outside the box than AC Milan (eight) in thetop five European leagues this season, whilst Bologna are the only Serie A sideyet to find the net from outside the box.
THE PLAYERS
5- Hakan Calhanoglu has scored six goals in Serie A, netting his last in the game played at the Stadio Dall'Ara last April.
6- Gonzalo Higuain has scored in two of his four Serie A matchesat the Dall’Ara (three in total). However, his team have won the only two matchesin which the Argentinian has not found the net.
7- Ignazio Abate (one goal in 12 games played vs Bologna) has found a starting berth on 7 occasions in this season's Serie A with AC Milan conceding an average 0.9 goals per game compared to a 1.5 the remaining eight.
COACHES
8- Filippo Inzaghi and Gennaro Gattuso played together in 139 Serie A matches wearing the red and black and winning more than half (51.8%). The two former players won the 2006 World Cup with Italy and as when together at AC Milan Milan, they lifted two Champions League cups, two Serie A titles, a FIFA Club World Cup. Two European Super Cups, two Italian Super Cups and one Coppa Italia.
9- Gennaro Gattuso has won both the previous encounters with Bologna in Serie A.