AC Milan head coach Stefano Pioli has named his first starting line-up of the 2023-24 season, and three of the new arrivals have been given the nod.
The only players who are not available for Milan are Ismael Bennacer who has a long-term knee injury and will miss a few more months, and Yunus Musah whose red card suspension from his last game at Valencia carries over.
Pioli has chosen to go with Mike Maignan in goal as expected with Malick Thiaw and Fikayo Tomori as the centre-back pairing and Theo Hernandez at left-back.
There was some speculation during the week suggesting Pierre Kalulu would start with Davide Calabria having just come back from a muscle issue, but the captain has been given the nod.
Rade Krunic will continue in his new-found role at the base of the new-look midfield three, with Ruben Loftus-Cheek ahead on his right and Tijjani Reijnders on his left as the two mezzali.
Christian Pulisic is preferred over Samuel Chukwueze on the right wing by virtue of having had more time with the group. Rafael Leao is down as the left winger, and Olivier Giroud up front.
Official Milan XI (4-3-3): Maignan; Calabria, Thiaw, Tomori, Theo Hernandez; Loftus-Cheek, Krunic, Reijnders; Pulisic, Giroud, Leao.
Bench: Mirante, Sportiello, Florenzi, Kalulu, Kjaer, Bartesaghi, Adli, Pobega, Zeroli, Chukwueze, Romero, Okafor, Colombo.
Official Bologna XI (4-3-3): Skorupski; Posch, Lucumì, Beukema, Lykogiannis; Ferguson, Dominguez, Moro; Aebischer, Zirkzee, Ndoye.
Bench: Bagnolini, Ravaglia, Sosa, Orsolini, Bonifazi, Corazza, El Azzouzi, De Silvestri, Van Hooijdonk, Fabbian, Urbanski.
