Football Bet of the Day: Cup final dress rehearsal offers intrigue

We’ve got a Championship play-off semi-final to look forward to on Friday night, as well as ties from the top divisions of Spain and Germany, but for our Football Bet of the Day for Friday, we are heading to Italy as AC Milan host Bologna. 

Read on for Friday’s Football Bet of the Day. 

Football Odds

This one is a dress rehearsal for the Coppa Italia final, which will take place on Wednesday at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome. You have to feel both of these teams will have half an eye on that final which may impact this game, although there is still an awful lot on the line for both teams. 

Milan, having watched their fiercest rivals reach the Champions League final in the most dramatic fashion in midweek, will hope to pick up the cup next week - but first they have to try and close the gap on those European places. 

Sergio Conceicao’s side sit in ninth but after three wins in their last four have closed the gap on fourth-placed Juventus to just six points. That means, in this Friday night fixture, they could heap the pressure on their rivals before they play later this weekend. 

However, Bologna are no mugs and they will be thinking exactly the same thing. They are just one point behind the top four and could well secure Champions League football and a domestic trophy this term - which would mark one of their best seasons in recent times. 

They will fancy their chances of pulling off a shock win here, and they won’t be overawed by the occasion. They’ve shown their quality all season, which is obvious by the fact that they are just one point away from qualifying for Europe’s premier competition for the second successive season, having finished 28th in the group phase this term.

AC Milan vs Bologna Odds

The Greyhounds showed good early pace, but have maintained that form across the campaign and are currently on a four-match unbeaten run. They’ve beaten Inter and drawn with Juventus in those games, while they’ve also only lost two of their last 14 on the road, so I am going to back them to get a point here. 

I’d be tempted to back them for a win if they weren’t facing a Milan outfit in form. Conceicao has taken his side on a run of form that has seen them lose just two of their last 10 matches and win four of their last five. 

Along the way they’ve beaten old rivals Inter in the Coppa Italia semi-finals with a stunning away display, while they also secured a big away win at Udinese. They do seem slightly better suited to playing on the road of late, so I’m going to keep myself firmly on the fence for what should be a belting encounter. 

Both teams scored in the first game between these two as Bologna came away with a 2-1 win while both teams also found the net in Milan’s last game (2-1 v Genoa) and Bologna’s 1-1 draw with Juve. A good price for a decent encounter at San Siro on Friday night - although it may not hit the heights that we saw on Tuesday. 

Offers

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