The start of the new Premier League and Serie A season is less than three weeks away, and Chelsea and AC Milan are set to continue their pre-season preparations with a high-profile friendly in Jakarta, Indonesia.
Neither Chelsea nor AC Milan have had much success in their friendly matches so far, with both teams still trying to settle in under their new managers.
Apart from an early friendly against WS Wanderers, in which the Blues scored six goals, their lack of creativity in attack and defensive frailties have been evident.
A week ago, they failed to beat Tottenham, who were down to ten men, and three days ago they suffered a 1-0 defeat to Juventus, once again failing to make an impact in attack.
The positive news mainly concerns the return of key players, but the same applies to AC Milan.
The Rossoneri have played two matches so far, both of which ended in draws. First a 2–2 draw with Celtic, then a 1–1 draw with their arch-rivals Inter.
Ruben Amorim faces a tough task, but the Portuguese manager has plenty of experience against Chelsea and may well field his best line-up to secure a morale-boosting victory.
How the bookies view it: Chelsea have a considerable advantage
The bookmakers believe the English heavyweights have a better chance of success in Indonesia, giving them a solid 9/10 favourite status.
A third consecutive draw involving AC Milan is priced at 11/4, whilst a win for the Italian giants is available at 23/10.
Recent head-to-head: The Blues dominated in last year's friendly
Chelsea and AC Milan have faced each other many times over the years, mostly on the big stage of the Champions League or in the former International Champions Cup.
The Blues from London hold a significant advantage in head-to-head encounters, with six wins to just one defeat and two draws.
The last official matches between the sides were in 2022, when Chelsea won both Champions League fixtures with an aggregate score of 5–0. Most recently, however, they played a friendly exactly a year ago, with Chelsea winning 4-1.
Players to watch: A dream debut for Emegha?
Chelsea have been very active in the transfer market, but most of their new signings are yet to be fully integrated into the team.
I expect to see Emmanuel Emegha leading the line for the first time, alongside Joao Pedro, who is among the players who have clocked up the most minutes in pre-season matches so far.
Emegha will be keen to prove himself as quickly as possible, but I still think it makes far more sense to expect a goal from Pedro, who scored a hat-trick in the first match against WS Wanderers.
Probable line-ups
Chelsea: Sanchez, Gusto, Chalobah, Fofana, James, Palmer, Caicedo, Fernandez, Neto, Pedro, Emegha
AC Milan: Maignan, Gila, Gabbia, Tomori, Saelemaekers, Modric, Rabiot, Leao, Nkunku, Loftus-Cheek, Pulisic
Anything else catch the eye?
What I’ve noticed so far is mainly poor defending from both teams. It’s crystal clear to everyone that they have the quality to score goals, but they need time to get used to the new demands.
Time is running out, however, and the season is fast approaching, so I expect them to become increasingly determined in the friendlies and for us to see more action.
In any case, I expect to see goals at both ends. This is a match with nothing at stake, which makes it almost impossible to predict.
Still, I expect Chelsea to field their strongest possible line-up, one that’s close to the one we’ll see in the Premier League this season, and that leads me to believe they have a better chance of winning this match.
That said, I don’t think we’ll see a big win like last year’s 4–1 result, but rather a close 2–1 victory.
Think both sides will find the net? Our BTTS Masterclass explains how to spot the fixtures where goals are a given.
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