As the Champions League is back on our screens, let us take a look at the Chelsea Vs AC Milan, their Team News, Match Preview, And Prediction.

Chelsea supporters will be hoping that the third time is the charm in the 2022-23 Champions League when they host AC Milan at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday.

Graham Potter’s team is dead bottom in the division following two defeats, while the Rossoneri have gained four points from six games to claim the first position.

Chelsea Vs AC Milan: Team News, Match Preview And Prediction

Preview of the game

Conor Gallagher stood up to the job after the screenplay was already prepared before the game.

Potter’s Chelsea won 2-1 against Crystal Palace in his first Premier League encounter as manager, courtesy of a peach from the ex-Eagles loanee.

Odsonne Edouard’s seventh-minute strike put Palace ahead, but Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s first goal for Chelsea restored parity before Gallagher came off the substitute to curl in a superb winner in the dying minutes.

Potter’s first game as Chelsea manager concluded in a 1-1 draw with Red Bull Salzburg, after the last nail in Thomas Tuchel’s coffin was hammered in with a 1-0 loss to Dinamo Zagreb.

Chelsea now lies bottom of Group E with only one point, but first-placed Milan is just three points ahead at this early stage of the competition, and the Blues will be determined to upset the apple cart on Wednesday.

Chelsea has not lost at home to Italian opponents in Europe since March 2010 – falling 1-0 to Jose Mourinho’s Inter Milan – and the hosts have gone eight games without a loss at Stamford Bridge, but they have also failed to maintain a clean sheet in as many meetings in all competitions.

The injury issue in Stefano Pioli’s squad worsened during AC Milan’s Serie A match against Empoli over the weekend, but the Scudetto holders still came out comfortable winners as they continue to play catch-up in the race to retain their Serie A championship.

The Rossoneri returned to winning ways with goals from Fode Ballo-Toure, Rafael Leao, and Ante Rebic, and some may see Wednesday’s game as an audition for Leao, who has been heavily linked with a move to Chelsea in recent months.

Since a rumored late approach from the Blues fell through, the 23-year-old has led the Rossoneri revolution, helping his team to fourth place in the Serie A table at the moment, despite the fact that Atalanta BC and Napoli are three points ahead in the first two podium spots.

Pioli’s team drew with Salzburg and beat Zagreb to take the top position in Champions League Group E, although the Italian champions, like Chelsea, have shown some defensive flaws in recent weeks, surrendering in six consecutive games across all competitions.

Milan, on the other hand, has gone eight away games without a loss and are now looking to break a European hoodoo on English soil, with their last victory in such games coming in February 2005 at Old Trafford against Manchester United.

The Rossoneri’s previous 19 travels to play English teams in European competition have resulted in seven draws and 12 losses, and they have not faced Chelsea since the 1999-2000 Champions League group stage when both games ended level.

Chelsea’s Champions League standings: LD

Chelsea’s current form (in all competitions): WLWLDW

AC Milan’s Champions League standings: DW

AC Milan’s current form (in all competitions): WDWWLW

Team Updates

Chelsea is already set to be without N’Golo Kante (thigh) for the visit of Milan, while Marc Cucurella and Carney Chukwuemeka will be assessed after missing the victory against Palace due to sickness, while Edouard Mendy is expected to return from a knee injury.

Cucurella has apparently been hospitalized with his illness, so it is tough to see the left-back starting on Wednesday, while Jorginho suffered an abdominal injury at Selhurst Park and is also a doubt for the match against the Rossoneri.

Gallagher might be rewarded for his game-winning efforts with a start in the Champions League if Jorginho is unable to recuperate in time, while Thiago Silva – who was lucky not to see red at the weekend – could once again partner Wesley Fofana at the back.

Chelsea’s treatment room is full, but Milan’s medical staff is pushed thin, with Theo Hernandez, Mike Maignan, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Divock Origi, Junior Messias, and Alessandro Florenzi all in the hospital.

Pioli also saw Simon Kjaer, Alexis Saelemaekers, and Davide Calabria all leave the game injured in the victory against Empoli; the two defenders both had hamstring injuries, while Saelemaekers suffered a knee strain.

The severity of the trio’s problems is unknown at this time, but Pioli will almost certainly have to rejig his starting XI as Sergio Dest, Rade Krunic, and Pierre Kalulu prepare to be brought into the first XI.

With Ibrahimovic and Origi out, the offensive burden will rest on Olivier Giroud, who scored 39 goals in 119 games for Chelsea, and Fikayo Tomori, who will have a point to prove at his old club.

The home fans will be optimistic despite Milan’s extensive injury list, but Pioli still has strong alternatives in all parts of the field, including two former Blues keen to make a mark upon their return to the capital.

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Chelsea has yet to experience a new manager bounce under Potter, and although Milan’s weakened side is unlikely to return home with maximum points, the hosts’ search for a European triumph may continue as they settle for a point against the tenacious Scudetto champions.