AC Milan are seeking revenge for their loss at Stamford Bridge a week ago against the Chelsea team unbeaten under new boss Graham Potter.
A win will put either side on top of the group standings provided that RB Salzburg don’t pick up a positive result against Dinamo Zagreb in the other game.
MIL vs CHE Match Details
Date: Tuesday, 11 October 2022/ Wednesday, 12 October 2022
Time: 20:00 (BST) / 00:30 (IST)
Venue: Stadio Giuseppe Meazza, Milan
MIL vs CHE Match Preview
Milan were totally second-best in the 3-0 loss to Chelsea in their backyard last week fidgeting in defense and being toothless in attack. Injuries also played a role in restricting Stefano Pioli’s option to have a full-strength squad and a lack of depth from the bench. With some of the members back to fold, Milan roared back in defeating lackluster Juventus 2-0 in Serie A at San Siro, the place they will meet the Blues again. Fikayo Tomori and Brahim Diaz found the back of the net at the right moment to secure the win now only three points off the top spot. The win at the weekend meant Milan had only lost twice at home in 2022 with the latest being against league leaders Napoli. The Rossoneri hopes to use the excellent record at San Siro to their advantage in the Champions League this time following the 3-1 win over Dinamo Zagreb in the last home game in the competition. Seven-time winners Milan have not made it past the group stages since the 2013/14 campaign amid their long exile from the contest. Last season Milan finished dead last in the group containing finalists Liverpool, Atletico Madrid and FC Porto. The Portuguese giants even pipped them to the Europa League spot which came as a major disappointment for the Italian side. It was the first taste of Champions League football for this young Milan side and they failed to juggle European venture with domestic football although they won the league. This time, Pioli’s men are adamant to do well in both but find themselves in a difficult spot again. Currently in third with four points after a 1-1 draw against Salzburg in the opening game, the win over Zagreb and then the loss to Chelsea. Another defeat will leave them in a precarious position to qualify for the latter rounds of the Champions League. The group is rather tight with two points separating the first and second so lapses from any of the sides will be hard to recover. Milan could only wish the unconvincing away form of Chelsea this season acts as an aid.
The Blues outmuscled their opposition in their first big victory under Graham Potter scoring three goals through Wesley Fofana, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Reece James from six shots on target and restricting Milan to only one. The shoddy defending from the Scudetto holders made certain situations easy for Chelsea but they also didn’t allow the guests to have a real say in the game. The ruthless nature of the win carried into the weekend Premier League game against Wolves. Chelsea triumphed 3-0 again at home with Kai Havertz, Christian Pulisic and Armando Broja getting on the scoresheet this time. The Blues have now won the last three games under the new management although it is the away form that needs checking. The 2-1 win away at Crystal Palace was only the second time they picked up all three points in five games on the road in all competitions. That has to change if Chelsea wants to gather full points at San Siro to be on the brink of qualification to the last 16. The London-based club is ranked second in their group equal on points with Milan and trailing table-toppers FC Salzburg by a point. Chelsea, then under Thomas Tuchel, started the Champions League campaign with a 1-0 loss to Dinamo Zagreb but then Potter took charge in the 1-1 draw against the Austrian champions before managing them to the big win over the Rossoneri. The positive outlook for Chelsea in the last two games has been the team racking up scoring numbers as well as keeping the defense watertight. Everything is headed towards a positive direction and another win will only add to the reputation for Potter with early pressure on him reduced. Historically, the Blues have remained unbeaten against AC Milan in the last five meetings in Europe although only won once. That being said, they have not won an away trip to Italy since 2003 drawing once and losing six games, a record Graham Potter and his men will not be proud of.
Recent Form (all competitions)
MIL: WLWLW
CHL: WWWDL
Recent Form (Champions League)
MIL: DWL
CHL: LDW
MIL vs CHE Team News
Summer signing Charles de Ketelaere add himself to the growing list of injuries for AC Milan with a muscle problem that kept him out of the final training session ahead of the game in midweek.
Brahim Diaz will come into the eleven in his place after scoring a goal at the weekend against Juventus in the league for the only change done to the starting lineup from the reverse game against Chelsea. Goalkeeper Mike Maignan, right-backs Alessandro Florenzi and Davide Calabria, Alexis Saelemaekers, Simon Kjaer and Zlatan Ibrahimovic are all ruled out. However, Junior Messias has recovered from his calf injury and Theo Hernandez will be back in the left-back after missing the clash last week.
For the Blues, N’Golo Kante is back in training but is unlikely to get involved in the match. Hakim Ziyech has not traveled with the squad due to a sore throat. Defender Wesley Fofana picked up an injury in the reverse fixture that made him miss the win over Wolves at the weekend but he has since rejoined the group. Thiago Silva faced his old side carrying a cold that also ruled him out from the Premier League game although he is expected to be back in the starting lineup on his return to San Siro.
MIL vs CHE Predicted Lineups
MIL: Ciprian Tatarusanu; Sergino Dest, Pierre Kalulu, Fikayo Tomori, Theo Hernandez; Ismael Bennacer, Sandro Tonali; Rade Krunic, Brahim Diaz, Rafael Leao; Olivier Giroud
CHL: Kepa Arrizabalaga; Trevoh Chalobah, Thiago Silva, Kalidou Koulibaly; Reece James, Loftus-Cheek, Mateo Kovacic, Ben Chilwell; Raheem Sterling, Mason Mount; Aubameyang
MIL vs CHE Dream11 Team Prediction
GK: Arrizabalaga (7.5)
DEF: R James (9), T Silva (9), Tomori (8), T Hernandez (9)
MID: Bennacer (8.5), Mount (8.5), Tonali (8.5)
FW: Sterling (8), Giroud (9), Leao (9)
Captain: Reece James
Vice-captain: Mason Mount
