AC Milan and Bologna battle for the Coppa Italia
90 minutes to write a piece of history: AC Milan and Bologna are ready to compete for the Coppa Italia Frecciarossa trophy at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome. After Friday’s clash on matchday 36 in Serie A Enilive, which saw the Rossoneri come from behind to win at San Siro (a Gimenez brace and a goal from Pulisic after Orsolini’s opener), the two teams are – thanks to a quirk of the calendar – set to meet again. If the match ends in a draw, extra time and penalties will decide who lifts the trophy in the Italian capital. The team that emerges victorious will wear the Coppa Italia Frecciarossa winners’ badge (la coccarda tricolore) and be guaranteed Europa League football next season. Having progressed to the final, both sides have already booked their place in the Final Four of the next EA SPORT FC SUPERCUP. Both AC Milan and Bologna entered the tournament in the round of 16. The Rossoneri triumphed 6-1 over Sassuolo, while the Rossoblù eliminated Monza with a dominant 4-0 win. In the quarter-finals, Vincenzo Italiano’s men narrowly overcame Atalanta in Bergamo thanks to a goal from Castro. Meanwhile, Conceição’s side beat Roma 3-1, with Abraham bagging a brace and João Félix also getting on the scoresheet. In the semi-finals, AC Milan eliminated Inter over two legs: after a 1-1 draw in the first match, Jovic took centre stage in the second leg, bagging a brace in a 3-0 victory for the Rossoneri. Bologna, meanwhile, secured their place in final by beating Empoli twice: 3-0 in the first leg (a goal from Orsolini and a Dallinga brace) and 2-1 in the return fixture (Fabbian and Dallinga on the scoresheet). Dallinga is just one goal behind the current top scorer in this season’s Coppa Italia Frecciarossa, Tammy Abraham, who has found the net four times.
HEAD TO HEAD
Milan and Bologna will face each other in a single leg final for the first time in history across all competitions (since 1929-30). The two teams had previously met eight times in the final group stage of the Coppa Italia between 1968 and 1977, with four wins for the Lombards, two victories for the Emilians, and two draws. This will be the 15th meeting between Milan and Bologna in the Coppa Italia. The Rossoneri lead with six wins to Bologna’s four, while four matches have ended in a draw. The most recent encounter in the competition dates back to 13th December 1995 in the quarter-finals; the Emilian side advanced after a penalty shootout after 1-1 draws in both the first and second legs.
COPPA ITALIA FRECCIAROSSA
Milan will play in their 13th Coppa Italia final, last competing in the final in 2018, suffering a 0-4 loss to Juventus. The Rossoneri have only won the trophy once in the last six appearances in the final of the competition, doing so in 2002-03 (6-3 aggregate score over Roma). This could also be the sixth Coppa Italia win in Milan's history. This will be Bologna's second Coppa Italia final, previously reaching the final in 1974 against Palermo, when the Rossoblù won the cup following a penalty shootout (1-1 after extra time). The Emilians could lift the trophy for the third time in their history; their first victory came after the matches in the final group of the 1969-70 edition.
DID YOU KNOW?
After winning the Supercoppa Italiana in January against Inter, Milan could win two trophies in a single season for the first time since 2007-08 when they won the UEFA Super Cup and the FIFA Club World Cup. Milan have won four consecutive matches across all competitions for the first time this season. The last time the Rossoneri achieved at least four straight victories was between March and April 2024 (run of seven). Bologna have not won in their last three matches (D2 L1) and could go four consecutive matches without a win across all competitions for the first time since between September and October 2024 (run of five – D3 2L). Bologna have scored 10 goals in the Coppa Italia this season, while the last edition of the tournament in which they scored more goals was in 1997-98 (11). Meanwhile, Milan have scored 13 goals, and in the previous 20 editions of the Coppa Italia, the Rossoneri have only scored more goals in 2015-16 (15).
PLAYERS
Tijjani Reijnders has scored two goals in four appearances in the Coppa Italia this season; the last Milan midfielder to score more goals in a single edition of the tournament was Manuel Rui Costa (3 goals in 2005-06). Riccardo Orsolini is the first Bologna player to score 15 goals in all competitions in a season since Marko Arnautovic in 2021-22 (also 15), while the last player to score more for them in a single campaign was Marco Di Vaio in 2010-11 (19 goals).
DISCIPLINE
Suspended: none Cautioned: Hernandez, Reijnders, Terracciano (Milan); Holm, Ndoye, Orsolini (Bologna)
REFEREES
Mariani (Peretti-Colarossi), IV: Manganiello, VAR: Meraviglia, AVAR: Mazzoleni (Photo Getty Images)