Seire A's opening weekend wraps up on Monday when AC Milan travel to Bologna in a match with plenty of intrigue for U.S. men's national team fans. Milan signed Christian Pulisic and Yunus Musah over the summer, and both are expected to be important players for Milan as they look to level up from an impressive 2022-23 season. The pair are expected to make their debuts for Milan against Bologna alongside a handful of new signings for the Rossoneri.
Here's what you need to know before tuning in:
How to watch and odds
- Date: Monday, August 21 | Time: 2:45 p.m. ET
- Location: Renato Dall'Ara -- Bologna, Italy
- Live stream: Paramount+
- Odds: Bologna +285; Draw +240; AC Milan -104
Storylines
AC Milan aim to improve upon last season's fourth-place finish and Champions League semifinal berth this campaign and does so with a group of new talent that includes two USMNT mainstays. Pulisic and Musah swapped Chelsea and Valencia, respectively, for Milan and are part of a rebuild that includes young attacking talent. The American duo could make their debuts against Bologna, as could winger Samuel Chukwueze or midfielders Tijjani Reijnders and Ruben Loftus-Cheek.
The summer business also suggests that Milan are due to switch up their tactical look from last season and could play a 4-3-3 after succeeding during the 2022-23 campaign in a 4-2-3-1. Manager Stefano Pioli already debuted the new look during preseason, including during the 3-2 loss to Real Madrid in which Pulisic picked up an assist.
Prediction
There may still be growing pains to work out since it's still early days for a new team, but AC Milan will likely start the season on a positive note with plenty of attacking options at their disposal. Pick: Bologna 0, AC Milan 2