Chelsea vs AC Milan Match Analysis and Prediction

2 years ago 355

Chelsea will be looking to put their first three points on the board in the 2022-23 Champions League Group E when they host AC Milan at Stamford Bridge for Wednesday’s tie.

The Blues sit in last place in the section after two games without a win, while their visitors have picked up four points from six to occupy first place.

With Graham Potter finally taking charge of a Premier League game for Chelsea, his side claimed a 2-0 victory over Crystal Palace thanks to a peach from Conor Gallagher.

Having got off the mark domestically, ending their winless run in Europe is next on the priority list for Potter, whose first game in charge of the club ended in a 1-1 draw with Red Bull Salzburg after Thomas Tuchel’s dismissal with the 1-0 defeat to Dinamo Zagreb.

Chelsea currently sit rock bottom of Group E with just one point on their name, but first-placed Milan are only three points clear at this early stage of proceedings.

Chelsea have not suffered defeat at home to Italian opposition in Europe since March 2010 – losing 1-0 to Inter Milan – and the Blues have gone eight matches at Stamford Bridge without defeat, but they have also failed to keep a clean sheet eight games across all competitions.

The injury crisis in AC Milan went from bad to worse during their Serie A contest with Empoli at the weekend, but they still claimed victory as they continue to play catch-up in the battle to defend their league title.

Stefano Pioli has witnessed his side draw with Red Bull Salzburg and defeat Dinamo Zagreb to occupy top spot in Champions League Group E, and the Italian champions have also demosntrated some defensive weaknesses in recent weeks, having conceded in six matches across all competitions on the bounce.

Chelsea vs AC Milan head to head

These two teams have previously met on just four occasions in friendlies and the International Champions Cup, where Chelsea have claimed three victories while AC Milan have won one. Chelsea have scored seven goals and conceded three in the process. Chelsea won 3-1 away in their last meeting.

AC Milan 1-2 Chelsea 25/07/09

Chelsea 0-1 AC Milan 29/07/12

AC Milan 0-2 Chelsea 05/08/13

AC Milan 1-3 Chelsea 04/08/16

Chelsea latest home form

Chelsea have recently been on a good run of form at home, having been unbeaten in their seven most recent matches. They played out a 1-1 draw with Salzburg in their last home game in the Champions League. In their last five matches, they have scored nine goals and conceded six.

Chelsea 2-1 America 17/07/22

Chelsea 2-2 Tottenham Hotspur 14/08/22

Chelsea 2-1 Leicester City 27/08/22

Chelsea 2-1 West Ham United 03/09/22

Chelsea 1-1 Salzburg 14/09/22

Chelsea latest away form

Chelsea have recently failed to keep a good run of form on the road, having won just two of their eight most recent matches. They defeated Crystal Palace 2-1 in their last away game in the league. In their last five matches, they have scored four goals and conceded seven.

Everton 0-1 Chelsea 06/08/22

Leeds United 3-0 Chelsea 21/08/22

Southampton 2-1 Chelsea 30/08/22

Dinamo Zagreb 1-0 Chelsea 06/09/22

Crystal Palace 1-2 Chelsea 01/10/22

AC Milan latest home form

AC Milan were beaten 2-1 by Napoli in their last home game in the league. However, they have recently been on a good run of form at home, as they have been unbeaten in their previous eight games. In their last five matches, they have scored 13 goals and conceded seven.

AC Milan 4-2 Udinese 13/08/22

AC Milan 2-0 Bologna 27/08/22

AC Milan 3-2 Inter Milan 03/09/22

AC Milan 3-1 Dinamo Zagreb 14/09/22

AC Milan 1-2 Napoli 18/09/22

AC Milan latest away form

AC Milan have recently been on a good run of form on the road, having been unbeaten in their eight most recent matches. They managed to defeat Empoli 3-1 in their last away game in the league. In their last five matches, they have scored seven goals and conceded four.

Atalanta 1-1 AC Milan 21/08/22

Sassuolo 0-0 AC Milan 30/08/22

Salzburg 1-1 AC Milan 06/09/22

Sampdoria 1-2 AC Milan 10/09/22

Empoli 1-3 AC Milan 01/10/22

Chelsea news

Chelsea will be without Edouard Mendy and N’Golo Kante for the visit of Milan due to knee and thigh injuries respectively, while Marc Cucurella has been hospitalised with illness.

Jorginho sustained a knock at against Crystal Palace and Gallagher could therefore be rewarded with a start should the former not recover in time.

AC Milan news

Head coach Stefano Pioli witnessed all of Davide Calabria, Simon Kjaer and Alexis Saelemaekers come off injured in the win over Empoli.

The manager will likely be required to alter his starting XI once again, as Pierre Kalulu, Sergino Dest and Rade Krunic prepare to be drafted into the starting XI.

Prediction and Odds

AC Milan’s lengthy injury list will leave the Stamford Bridge faithful with plenty of optimism of their side coming out on top on Wednesday.

Chelsea are yet to experience a new manager bounce under Potter and their wait for a European win may continue as they settle for a point against the resilient Italian champions.

Odds: 1 2.22 X 2.02 2 2.20