When Chelsea travels to San Siro to play AC Milan in the Champions League on Tuesday night, the Blues will be looking to make it two wins in a row against the Italian club.
The Blues moved up to the second position in Group E after their triumph against the Serie A giants at Stamford Bridge last week. It tied them on points with third-placed Milan. Red Bull Salzburg remains on top of the group, though.
Match Preview: AC Milan vs Chelsea
Wesley Fofana, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, and Reece James scored for Chelsea in a straightforward victory against Milan at Stamford Bridge last week. Stefano Pioli’s squad drew 1-1 with Salzburg on September 6 before beating Dinamo Zagreb 3-1.
The loss against Chelsea dropped them to third in the group, but just two points separate fourth-place Dinamo Zagreb from first-place Salzburg. Milan hasn’t reached the Champions League knockout phase since 2013-14.
But they’ve won it seven times, making them the second-most successful club after Real Madrid, who won their 14th title last season. The Red and Blacks enter this match off a morale-boosting win against Juventus in Serie A on Saturday night.
Fikayo Tomori and Brahim Diaz scored against a poor Old Lady, leaving them in fourth place, one point behind leaders Atalanta BC. Chelsea was in a tough position in the group before last week’s match against Milan, but they won and are now second.
They will like their prospects of advancing to the knockout phase. The Blues lost 1-0 to Dinamo Zagreb in their league opener on September 6 before drawing 1-1 with Salzburg. Kai Havertz, Christian Pulisic, and Armando Broja scored for Chelsea in their 3-0 Premier League victory against Wolverhampton Wanderers on Saturday.
Chelsea is fourth in the standings and looks to be headed on the right path under Potter, who replaced Thomas Tuchel. The Blues won the Champions League in 2020-21, defeating Manchester City in the final. But they were defeated by Real Madrid in the quarterfinals last season and are not among the favorites this year.
Team News: AC Milan vs Chelsea
A large number of Milan players, including Saelemaekers Junior Florenzi, Calabria, Ibrahimovic, Mike Zlatan Kjaer, Simon Alexis and Maignan, Messias, Alessandro Davide, are now out with injuries.
Nonetheless, France international Theo Hernandez returned from injury against Juventus and will start as left back for the hosts on Tuesday.
With Olivier Giroud anticipated to start up top alongside Diaz and Rafael Leao, the Milan starting XI is unlikely to see any big changes. However, Tommaso Pobega may move out of the midfield to make room for Rade Krunic.
N’Golo Kante still isn’t available for Chelsea due to a hamstring injury, while Wesley Fofana is also out with a knee injury he sustained in Chelsea’s last encounter against Milan.
The London club has also dropped Hakim Ziyech from its roster owing to fitness concerns.
Ben Kovacic, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, James, Raheem Sterling, and Reece Chilwell Mateo are all expected to make returns for head coach Potter as he makes adjustments to the starting lineup that lost to Wolves in the league on Saturday.
Kepa Arrizabalaga, who has been enjoying a recent run in the side, is expected to stay between the posts, while Ruben Loftus-Cheek should maintain his starting position in central midfield.
- AC Milan Possible Starting Lineup: Tonali, Tomori, Leao, Diaz, Hernandez, Bennacer, Krunic, Giroud Dest, Tatarusanu, Kalulu.
- Chelsea Possible Starting Lineup: Kovacic, Chilwell, T Chalobah, Mount Silva, Loftus-Cheek, Aubameyang, Kepa, James, Sterling, Koulibaly.
Our Prediction: AC Milan 1-1 Chelsea
On Tuesday evening, Milan will be out for payback, and we anticipate seeing much better performance from the Italian champions when they take the field in this matchup. However, Potter is getting the most out of Chelsea, and we feel that the Blues have enough talent to earn a share of the spoils at San Siro. Chelsea is showing encouraging signs under Potter.
