Chelsea will have momentum in their sights when they visit San Siro, with Graham Potter aiming for a swift double over AC Milan.
AC Milan boss Stefano Pioli will reflect on his team’s form over the last few days and hope to take domestic form into Europe with the game against Chelsea. Last week, the Blues comfortably beat the Rossoneri. Chelsea never allowed Milan to get a foothold in the game, resulting in a rather easy 3-0 win.
Milan may rue the many current injuries, but they will be confident of their second clash with Chelsea at San Siro. That defeat saw Milan drop down to third place in the Group E standings, as the west Londoners leapfrogged them into second.
Milan got back to winning ways at the weekend, as they smashed two goals past Juventus. Fikayo Tomori, after a terrible outing on his return to Chelsea, scored at the weekend, while Brahim Diaz also found the net. It will be interesting to see if that win will be enough to boost their confidence ahead of the return leg with the Blues.
Chelsea will be high on confidence ahead of the trip to Milan. Graham Potter has steered the team to three back-to-back wins in all competitions. At the weekend, the Blues collected three points against a hapless Wolves side, setting them up nicely for the Champions League game.
Last week, their win over Milan ensured they got their Champions League campaign back on track after a difficult start in the first two games. That victory at Stamford Bridge helped them climb up to second on the table, with only Red Bull Salzburg ahead of them by a single point after three games.
Potter will certainly be eyeing a double over Milan and hope Salzburg drop points against Dinamo Zagreb. Comfortably qualifying for the next round will allow Chelsea to re-focus their attention on domestic duties, as games will come thick and fast in the coming weeks.
Team News & Tactics
AC Milan
🔑 #ACMCHE 🔑
Quali saranno le zone del campo strategiche e le situazioni tattiche decisive?
Scopri le possibili chiavi del match di San Siro nella nostra analisi 🔎#UCL #SempreMilan— AC Milan (@acmilan) October 10, 2022
Stefano Pioli may have overseen his team to a win over Juventus, but they did so with a depleted squad. The AC Milan manager still faces those issues, as several key players remain out of the picture. Mike Maignan, Alessandro Florenzi, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Junior Messias, Simon Kjaer, Davide Calabria and Alexis Saelemaekers are all injured.
The lineup may look similar to the one that started last week, with Pioli expected to make slight tweaks to suit the occasion. While no changes are expected to the backline, Theo Hernandez could come in after regaining fitness. Those leading the attack could see some refreshing.
Olivier Giroud is best placed to lead the line for Milan, but Rade Krunic should return. The latter started against Chelsea but was on the bench for the Juventus clash. Brahim Diaz could also get a place in the starting eleven, with Charles De Ketelaere dropping out.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Tatarusanu; Dest, Kalulu, Tomori, Hernandez; Bennacer, Tonali; Krunic, Diaz, Leao; Giroud
Chelsea
Chelsea may not have many new problems leading into the AC Milan clash, but Potter is without three first-team players. N’Golo Kante, who has endured fitness issues this term, remains out of contention. Hakim Ziyech and Wesley Fofana are the other players missing, with the latter set to be out for a brief period.
We’re off to Milan! 🇮🇹#UCL pic.twitter.com/kSG2vAILeL
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) October 10, 2022
After fielding a much-changed squad against Wolverhampton Wanderers at the weekend, Potter could revert to players who were rested. The Chelsea manager will likely reinstate a back-three, with Thiago Silva set to return at the expense of Cesar Azpilicueta.
Ben Chilwell should replace Marc Cucurella, while Reece James will start as the right wing-back. Mateo Kovacic is expected to come into midfield and partner with Ruben Loftus-Cheek.
Mason Mount might be the only attacker to survive the changes from the weekend. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Raheem Sterling could also return after getting some rest against Wolves. Young striker Armando Broja will remain as an option on the bench.
Probable Lineup (3-4-3): Kepa; Chalobah, Silva, Koulibaly; James, Loftus-Cheek, Kovacic, Chilwell; Sterling, Aubameyang, Mount
Key Stats
- Chelsea have won five of their last six matches against AC Milan in all competitions.
- Chelsea have scored at least two goals in five of their last six matches against AC Milan in all competitions.
- Chelsea have won their last three games in a row in all competitions.
- Milan have not progressed to the UEFA Champions League knockout stages since the 2013/14 season.
- Milan are the second most successful team in the Champions League, winning the competition seven times.
Player to Watch
Brahim Diaz
Devastatingly Díaz 💥 #MilanJuve #SempreMilan
Powered by @BMWItalia pic.twitter.com/vYWxZQH2t0
— AC Milan (@acmilan) October 9, 2022
The AC Milan playmaker has been on the periphery this season and lost his place to Charles De Ketelaere. However, injuries have helped Diaz force a route back into the team. And his performance against Juventus will have a ripple effect on further chances.
With Milan short of options, Diaz may get his opportunity against Chelsea and a big one at that. He will certainly hope the form against Juventus carries forward to the Chelsea game, with the clash extremely crucial for Milan at the moment.
Prediction
AC Milan 1-2 Chelsea
Chelsea are gaining momentum under new manager Graham Potter, and the upturn in form will likely continue on Tuesday. The Blues will take inspiration from their previous clash with Milan and the comfortable victory over Wolves to collect three points in Italy.
Milan are struggling with injuries, preventing Pioli from naming his best possible starting eleven. They might have beaten Juventus, but Chelsea will be a different challenge, and they might struggle. The Blues should take all three points at San Siro, with The Hard Tackle predicting a 2-1 win for them.
