AC Milan's title aspirations face the ultimate test against Napoli
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AC Milan’s hard-fought 1-0 victory over Bologna on Sunday sparked talk of the team mounting a sustained challenge for the Serie A title this season.

The result moved Milan up to fifth in the standings, three points behind Napoli and Juventus who both have a perfect record after three games.

Online bookmakers NetBet rate Milan as 7/1 shots to win the title and those odds will tumble if they can build on their steady start to the campaign.

Veteran midfielder Luka Modric was the standout performer against Bologna, scoring the only goal in the 61st minute after fine work by Alexiis Saelemaekers.

The former Real Madrid playmaker recently celebrated his 40th birthday, but was keen to stress that age is just a number during a post-match interview.

“It was a great way to celebrate,” Modric told DAZN Italia. “We won, which is the most important thing, and now we have to focus on the next matches.

“I hope people will not remind me of my age anymore! It was a good move, Ale gave me a great ball and it was easy to score, it was more his pass than my finish.

“I thought the whole team fought well, game by game I am sure we’ll get more confident, and when players come back, when we get to know each other more, we will get better.”

Modric’s ability on the ball has not diminished, a point evidenced by his tally of 37 accurate passes out of 44 attempts against a tough Bologna team.

He is now the oldest midfielder to score in Serie A history, surpassing the record set by former Milan star Nils Liedholm against Inter Milan in March 1961.

Milan hadn't won two consecutive matches with a clean sheet since last February, and their new-found resilience will have delighted head coach Max Allegri.

However, the news that goalkeeper Mike Maignan could be ruled out for up to two months with a calf injury is a significant setback for Milan.

Pietro Terracciano was handed his debut by Allegri after Maignan was substituted in the 55th minute and he looks set for a lengthy spell in the starting XI.

The 35-year-old has kept 32 clean sheets in 121 Serie A appearances, and Milan will hope he can use his extensive experience to good effect.

Milan’s hopes of mounting a sustained title challenge will be tested over the next few weeks as they embark on a tricky run of fixtures.
They visit third-placed Udinese in their next league match, before tackling Napoli (H) and Juventus (A) over the following couple of weeks.

While each of those games are potential banana skins, the clash with Napoli at the San Siro on September 28 could be the most noteworthy.

The reigning champions did the double over Milan last season, winning 2-0 at the San Siro in October and 2-1 in Naples as the end of March.

They have started the 2025/26 season in fine form, recording victories over Fiorentina (3-1), Cagliari (1-0) and Sassuolo (2-0) to move to the top of the table.

Napoli are rated as 11/10 shots to retain the Serie A title and it would be brave move to back against them given the strength of their squad.

However, if Milan are to justify odds of 4/6 to finish in the top four, picking up three points against Antonio Conte’s side would be a good way to go about it.

While Allegri appears to have Milan heading in the right direction, the next few weeks will demonstrate whether this is actually the case.

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