Europa League preview: Bournemouth vs. AC Milan – Team news, opposition insight, stats and prediction
AC Milan resume their Europa League campaign on Thursday night with a trip to the south coast of England, to take on AFC Bournemouth.
The last couple of games have generated a more positive feeling around Ruben Amorim’s men, given they yielded six points and seven goals. It allowed the Rossoneri to kick start their European adventure properly, and to jump into the top four in Serie A.
Game date: Thursday, October 22 Kick-off time: 21:00 (CEST) Venue: Vitality Stadium Referee: Vassilis Fotias (VAR: Higlar)
Team news
As mentioned above, there seems to have been a swing in the pendulum from pessimism to optimism when it comes to Milan’s capabilities this season. The team are buoyed by the 4-0 win at RB Salzburg last midweek, and the 3-2 victory over Atalanta on Sunday.
Nonetheless, that game against La Dea showed both the ceiling and the floor of this team. Having raced out to a three-goal lead it looked like being a real statement of intent, until a late collapse saw the result thrust into doubt inside the final 10 minutes.
So, Amorim’s side are far from the finished article, though they have another opportunity here to prove that they can go toe-to-toe with one of the Premier League’s most exciting teams in recent years: AFC Bournemouth.
In terms of injuries, the absences of Alexis Saelemaekers and Matteo Gabbia were known about well in advance. The former has undergone surgery on an ankle injury sustained in training, while the latter suffered muscle and tendon damage, with both out until the new year.
However, two further blows came on the eve of the game. Firstly, Samuel Chukwueze missed the final session before the team fly over to England because he complained of hip discomfort after the Atalanta game. A specialist check-up is required for him, with a lengthy absence feared.
Then came the second bit of damage: Goncalo Ramos pulled out of the session early after feeling pain in his calf. The medical staff plan to check him over but it seems at the moment like a muscle overload, which will see him miss at least this game and possibly more.
The big question mark from a selection standpoint concerns whether Amorim plans to rotate heavily again, as has been the trend so far when having multiple games in a short stretch of time. He made seven alterations to the XI in Salzburg, then seven again versus Atalanta.
The match in Austria saw the likes of Fikayo Tomori, Ardon Jashari, Davide Bartesaghi, Omari Hutchinson, Alphadjo Cisse and Francesco Camarda all given a change in what was a youthful side. Sunday’s 65-minute performance demonstrated the energy levels needed to carry out the coach’s style effectively, so reports are suggesting more rotation is coming.
As happened last week, Amorim will make some changes. In defence, there will be room for Fikayo Tomori at right back, while on the left Davide Bartesaghi will have a chance. In midfield, a chance will be given to Ardon Jashari alongside Rabiot.
In attack, the trio of Omari Hutchinson, Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Alphadjo Cisse are expected to operate behind Francesco Camarda. The bench, after the two latest injuries, looks a tad lighter than before.
Predicted Milan XI (4-2-3-1): Maignan; Tomori, Gila, Pavlovic, Bartesaghi; Rabiot, Jashari; Hutchinson, Loftus-Cheek, Cisse; Camarda.
Predicted bench: Torriani, Bouyer, Vladimirov, De Winter, Diawara, Estupinan, Modric, Musah, Comotto, Pulisic, Moreira.
Injuries & suspensions: Terracciano, Saelemaekers, Gabbia, Chukwueze, Ramos.
The opponents
It was a summer of big change for AFC Bournemouth after a historic season, one which saw them qualify for a European competition for the first time ever. The Cherries have spent most of their existence in the lower leagues in England, so this past few years have been a real fairytale.
Without doubt the biggest pivot (and blow) over the summer was in the head coach position. Andoni Iraola chose to accept Liverpool’s advances – having also been linked with Milan – and so they turned to the seasoned German coach Marco Rose to lead them into 2026-27.
An expansive summer window followed his arrival. Antonio Silva and Alvaro Rodriguez arrived from Benfica and Elche CF respectively for €25m, while Juanlu Sanchez joined from Sevilla for €11m, and Michele Di Gregorio signed from Juventus on a loan deal.
It was expected that Bournemouth would make some big sales, with the likes of Alex Scott and Eli Junior Kroupi being linked with moves to top clubs for serious money. In the end though the most expensive exit was Hamed Traore to Marseille for €7.7m, though they did lose Marco Senesi on a free and Alex Jimenez headed to Fiorentina on loan.
It has been a bit of a rough start to the campaign domestically for AFCB under Rose. They lost three and drew three of their opening six Premier League games which had them in the relegation places. However, Sunday’s 2-0 victory over fellow strugglers and Milan’s future European opponents Sunderland helped ease some of the pressure.
The Cherries eased into the fourth round of the EFL Cup with a 4-0 win over Lincoln City, while they have started well in Europe with a 2-1 win away against Real Sociedad and a 3-0 home victory over Sturm Graz.
In terms of injury news, Rose will be without a couple of his most important players. Alex Scott suffered a hamstring injury on England duty and is expected to be out until next month, while Kroupi needed surgery on a foot injury and is also out for a few weeks yet. The other absentee is Araujo, with a hamstring problem.
Rose spoke before the game in his pre-match press conference about how his side will not ‘underestimate’ the Rossoneri, but they will go into it feeling they have a real chance of a historic result at home.
The current reports suggest the 4-2-3-1 will be spearheaded by Evanilson, with Tavernier, Kluivert and Gannon-Doak as the trio behind him. Hill and Silva will anchor the defence; Adams and Christie will be the midfield duo; while Smith and Truffert are the leading full-back candidates.
Predicted Bournemouth XI (4-2-3-1): Petrovic; Smith, Hill, Silva, Truffert; Adams, Christie; Tavernier, Kluivert, Gannon-Doak; Evanilson.
Injuries & suspensions: Kroupi, Scott, Araujo.
Head to head
It perhaps goes without saying that this will be the first ever competitive meeting between the two sides that share red and black stripes as their colours. Milan have a long past against sides from England, but Bournemouth have never played an Italian team in a competitive game.
The Rossoneri have played 50 games in their history against English teams, and they have won just 14 of them. Narrowing this down to the Europa League, Milan have drawn one and lost one against Manchester United, and lost twice against Arsenal.
The most recent match against a Premier League side was the Liverpool Champions League game at San Siro under Paulo Fonseca early in 2024-25. An early Christian Pulisic goal inspired hope, but the Reds eventually prevailed 3-1.
Key stats and facts
➤ Bournemouth’s 2–1 win away to Real Sociedad was the first European match in the club’s 127-year history. They followed it with a 3–0 home victory over Sturm Graz, scoring five goals in their first two European outings.
➤ While this is the first competitive meeting, the two clubs played a friendly in 2016, which Milan won 2–1.
➤ Alphadjo Cisse scored a hat-trick in the 4–0 win away to Red Bull Salzburg, becoming the youngest Italian ever to do so in a European competition. He celebrates his 20th birthday on the day of the game.
➤ Milan lost 2–0 at home to Benfica before responding with their 4–0 win in Austria. Their goal difference therefore improved from −2 to +2 in one match.
➤ Marcus Tavernier has scored four Premier League goals before this fixture. The winger has also started both of their Europa League matches.
➤ Evanilson scored his 100th career goal in the 2–0 Premier League victory over Sunderland last weekend.
➤ The Cherries have scored twice against Real Sociedad and three times against Sturm Graz. That’s 2.5 goals per game in their opening two European fixtures. Milan, meanwhile, are averaging two goals per game, making this a battle of two top attacks.
➤ Bournemouth have six points from six available, compared with Milan’s three. A home victory would take the Cherries to nine points from three matches, and put them six clear of the Rossoneri.
➤ Ruben Amorim made seven changes to the line-up before the Salzburg win, then seven changes for the Atalanta victory. He could make seven changes again for this one, especially with injury issues.
Ones to watch
For Milan, the opportunities lay at the feet of the youth once again. After impressing in Austria, Cisse and Hutchinson will once again be asked to show the same positive signs in Dorset, ideally giving Camarda a bit more service too.
However, in a game like this against an intense, fast and physical side, on a small pitch in a crowded stadium, the feeling is that the experience of the likes of Maignan, Tomori, Pavlovic and Rabiot will be key in managing the moments of the match and keeping composure.
In terms of attacking production, Evanilson has stepped up for Bournemouth in Kroupi’s absence, racking up seven goal contributions (3G, 4A) in his nine starts across all competitions. Marcus Tavernier is the top scorer on four goals, while Rayan and Ryan Christie each have three.
The summer signing Silva – who Milan were linked with – has become a fixture in defence alongside the talented James Hill. Truffert at left-back is a big attacking threat, while Musah and Pulisic’s compatriot Tyler Adams is the midfield engine.
Prediction
An obvious assumption ahead of this one is that there will be goals, though picking a winner feels hard despite Bournemouth’s tough start. If Milan play like they did in Salzburg they should have enough, but we expect this to be a much tougher test.
Bournemouth 2-2 Milan
