Preview: Chelsea vs. AC Milan - prediction, team news, lineups

Chelsea continue their preparations for the 2026-27 campaign with a pre-season friendly against Serie A giants AC Milan at Gelora Bung Karno Madya Stadium on Saturday.

The Blues suffered a second straight defeat last time out, losing 1-0 to Juventus, while Milan held city rivals Inter to a 1-1 draw.

Match preview

While it is still early days, Chelsea's start to life under Xabi Alonso has been underwhelming as he looks to restore the club to the upper echelons of English football after a disappointing 10th-place finish last season.

A 6-4 win over Western Sydney Wanderers in Alonso's opening game raised defensive concerns, which were further exposed in a 2-1 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur, despite the Blues playing almost the entire second half with a numerical advantage after Kevin Danso's red card.

Wednesday's match against Juventus offered the Blues an opportunity to bounce back under the Hong Kong lights, but Edon Zhegrova's strike in the 68th minute condemned the London outfit to back-to-back losses.

With only 19 days remaining before the West Londoners head to Craven Cottage for their 2026-27 Premier League opener against Fulham, optimism is beginning to dwindle among sections of the fanbase as Chelsea head to Indonesia for the penultimate leg of their Asian tour.

Awaiting them are Italian giants Milan, whom the Premier League outfit comfortably beat in their most recent friendly last August, with Liam Delap scoring a second-half brace in a 4-1 win.

That convincing success extended the English giants' unbeaten run in this fixture to five matches, and their overall record is impressive, with only two defeats in 13 meetings (W8, D3).

Like Chelsea, Milan are also entering a new managerial era after Ruben Amorim replaced Massimiliano Allegri, whose disappointing second stint ended with a fifth-place finish following a final-day defeat to Cagliari.

The Portuguese coach began his tenure with a 2-2 draw against Celtic, a match in which the Serie A side trailed by two at half-time, and they once again came from behind in Wednesday's meeting with Inter, where Christopher Nkunku netted a late penalty to secure a draw and extend the Rossoneri's unbeaten run in the derby to eight.

After a couple of underwhelming seasons at the San Siro, Amorim — like any new manager — has work to do to win over the Rossoneri faithful, and it is safe to say his opening two friendlies have not gone as planned.

Beating the London-based club on Saturday would be a welcome boost for Milan before they wrap up pre-season against Manchester United, a fixture with added sentiment given how Amorim's time at Old Trafford ended.

Facing elite Premier League sides in back-to-back games offers the Serie A club a chance to address recent struggles against English opponents, having won just two of the last 14 meetings since March 2012 (D3, L9).

Having seen the Blues fall to the Old Lady after an incredibly humdrum performance, the Rossoneri ought to back themselves to improve their miserable record against English sides, although any result on Saturday comes with the caveat that it is a friendly.

Chelsea friendlies form:

AC Milan friendlies form:

Team News

New signing Danny Welbeck made his Chelsea debut against Juventus and is expected to feature again on Saturday, though he is unlikely to start.

Following their involvement in the latter stages of the World Cup, Maxence Lacroix, Enzo Fernandez, Malo Gusto and Morgan Rogers are yet to report for pre-season, as is Reece James.

Cole Palmer and Levi Colwill missed out in Hong Kong due to minor issues, and Alonso is hopeful both will be available this weekend.

Robert Sanchez made his first pre-season start against Juventus before making way for Mike Penders; both are contenders for the number one shirt next season.

Having only come on for Welbeck at half-time, Nicolas Jackson was withdrawn in a pre-planned substitution, with Mykhaylo Mudryk his replacement as he returned to action after a lengthy period out with a doping ban.

Milan's Nkunku is set to face his former club for the first time since leaving West London last August, while Fikayo Tomori and Ruben Loftus-Cheek ought to feature in some capacity against old friends.

Another ex-Blue, Christian Pulisic, would have been in line for a reunion but is currently out with a thigh injury.

Mario Gila is also sidelined after suffering an injury on his debut, though the Spaniard could be back for the Serie A opener at Torino on August 23.

Mike Maignan is Milan's only World Cup absentee, so Lorenzo Torriani should keep his place in goal for a third consecutive game.

Goncalo Ramos came off the bench to make his debut against Inter and could be handed a start up front against the Blues.

Having made their first appearances for the Italian club after the World Cup, Rafael Leao and Luka Modric could also be in line for starts, even though the sensible call may be a gradual reintroduction for both.

Chelsea possible starting lineup:

Penders; Palestra, Colwill, Acheampong, Palestra; Caicedo, Lavia; Estevao, Palmer, Gittens; Pedro

AC Milan possible starting lineup:

Torriani; Terracciano, Gabbia, Tomori; Saelemaekers, Fofana, Jashari, Estupinan; Chukwueze, Nkunku; Ramos

We say: Chelsea 1-1 AC Milan

Although Alonso's men are desperate to halt a troubling two-match losing streak in pre-season, their lingering defensive vulnerabilities and key World Cup absentees remain a major concern.

With Ruben Amorim's side showing plenty of resilience to fight back in consecutive draws, another closely fought encounter in Indonesia looks the most likely outcome.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.