AC Milan will play the final game of their preseason campaign on Sunday afternoon as they take on Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.
After the 1-1 draw against Leeds United in Dublin on Saturday, Massimiliano Allegri’s side will get a final run-out before the 2025-26 campaign properly kicks off, taking on the Club World Cup champions.
Chelsea vs. AC Milan: Predicted XIs
According to this morning’s edition of La Gazzetta dello Sport (seen below), Allegri is expected to name a three-man defence of Matteo Dutu, Fikayo Tomori and Filippo Terracciano ahead of Mike Maignan.
The five-man midfield line should consist of Alexis Saelemaekers and Davide Bartesaghi as the wing-backs, then Youssouf Fofana, Samuele Ricci and Luka Modric in the middle. It will be a first start for the Croatian since joining.
It is anticipated that Ruben Loftus-Cheek will act behind Rafael Leao, with Santiago Gimenez having started the game against Leeds. The likes of Matteo Gabbia, Strahinja Pavlovic, Pervis Estupinan, Ardon Jashari, Yunus Musah, Samuel Chukwueze, Noah Okafor and Gimenez should be on the bench.
The Blues will be keen on using the home ground as their advantage. The UEFA Conference League and FIFA Club World Cup winners are gearing up for the upcoming season. Under Enzo Maresca, Chelsea have performed well, but they have failed to win any domestic competitions.
The Blues have signed some new players and will be looking to come up with better results domestically in the new season.
The Rossoneri will be looking to continue their winning run here. AC Milan have secured positive outcomes in their previous two matches. The Italian giants will be away from home and are expected to face tough competition against the Premier League team.
Predicted Milan XI (3-5-1-1): Maignan; Dutu, Tomori, Terracciano; Saelemaekers, Fofana, Ricci, Modric, Bartesaghi; Loftus-Cheek; Leao.
Predicted Chelsea XI (4-2-3-1): Sanchez; James, Chalobah, Tosin, Cucurella; Fernandez, Caicedo; Gittens, Palmer, Neto; Joao Pedro.
