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The Europa League league phase continues on Thursday evening with Bournemouth taking on AC Milan. The English side are unbeaten so far in their first-ever European cup campaign, while Milan have found increasingly better form after a slow start. An exciting, closely matched game is expected.
Bournemouth vs AC Milan: Thursday, October 22, 21:00, Vitality Stadium.
Bournemouth made a strong start to their European campaign, first winning 2–1 away at Real Sociedad, then following up with a confident 3–0 win over Sturm Graz. Marco Rose’s side head into the third round with six points.
Their Premier League season started less smoothly, but they beat Sunderland 2–0 at the weekend. Evanilson was involved in both goals, and also scored the 100th goal of his career.
AC Milan also arrive in England in good form. Ruben Amorim’s side began their Europa League campaign with a defeat to Benfica, then won 4–0 away at Salzburg. The hero of that match was Alphadjo Cissé, who scored a hat-trick.
Milan are also performing well in Serie A, sitting unbeaten in fourth place with 15 points after seven rounds. They most recently beat Atalanta 3–2.
Interestingly, Milan have won only two of their previous 22 European cup matches in England.
Bournemouth vs AC Milan: injuries and absences
Bournemouth remain without Alex Scott due to a thigh injury, as well as Julián Araujo and Eli Junior Kroupi. Marco Rose, however, can call on Evanilson, Marcus Tavernier and Justin Kluivert.
At Milan, Matteo Gabbia and Alexis Saelemaekers are struggling with injuries, while Filippo Terracciano is serving a suspension. Amorim is expected to make several changes, but Gonçalo Ramos, Cissé and Adrien Rabiot could play key roles.
Bournemouth vs AC Milan betting tips
Bournemouth have scored five goals and conceded one in their two Europa League matches so far, while Milan’s last two competitive games have produced nine goals between them.
Sports Mole are predicting a 2–2 draw, which illustrates just how evenly matched this game is expected to be. Bournemouth’s dynamic attacking play and Milan’s improving form both point towards the goal markets.
From a betting perspective, we find the both teams to score option the most interesting. Both teams have forwards capable of punishing defensive mistakes.
As an alternative, the Over 2.5 Goals market is also worth considering at the right odds. Despite Milan’s greater international experience, Bournemouth have a realistic chance of taking points on home soil. The odds were taken from Ivibet.