Opposition insight for Bournemouth-Milan: Form, injuries, predicted XI and more
AC Milan resume their European campaign on Thursday night with what promises to be a tricky test against AFC Bournemouth.
Given his past in the Premier League with Manchester United, Bournemouth are a team that head coach Ruben Amorim knows well, though he emerged with zero wins, two draws and one defeat from his previous three meetings.
After a historic 2025-26 campaign things have been a bit more rough for the Cherries this time around, at least domestically. However, they have gone well in Europe and are gearing up for what many deem to be among the biggest games in their history.
Opposition insight on Bournemouth
➤ Manager: Marco Rose ➤ Form (all comps): W-L-L-W-W (most recent) ➤ Top scorer (all comps): Tavernier – 4 ➤ Most assists (all comps): Evanilson – 4 Injuries & suspensions: Scott, Kroupi, Araujo.
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. Kroupi needed surgery on a foot injury and has returned to training but isn’t ready yet. The other absentee is Araujo, with a hamstring problem.
La Gazzetta dello Sport’s scouting report is as follows: “Rose, like Iraola before him, lines Bournemouth up in a 4-2-3-1 built on running, wide play and transitional threat.
“Tavernier on the left flank is one of the focal points of their play, as is Evanilson who, leading the line in a system of this type, is adept at bringing the team up the pitch and facilitating build-up play.
“Scott’s injury stripped the Cherries of their midfield orchestrator, but the two victories that followed the disastrous 5-1 thrashing by Chelsea upon returning from the international break show that Rose has learned to cope without him.
“Bournemouth are, above all, a well-organised, defensively alert side capable of digging in. Two clean sheets from their last two matches suggest they have also learned how to defend.”
Predicted Bournemouth XI (4-2-3-1): Petrovic; Smith, Hill, Silva, Truffert; Adams, Christie; Tavernier, Kluivert, Gannon-Doak; Evanilson.
Injuries & suspensions: Kroupi, Scott, Araujo.
