Champions League: Chelsea F.C. vs A.C. Milan preview: Head-to-head, probable lineup, prediction

The Blues were defeated by GNK Dinamo Zagreb and then held by RB Salzburg in their first two group matches.

Conor Gallagher's great goal on the weekend gave Chelsea a late victory against Crystal Palace in the Premier League. Still, they now turn their attention to the Champions League in search of their first victory of the season.

The struggling hosts will face group leaders Milan, who have one win and one tie in their first two group games.

With a draw and a win to start life under new manager Graham Potter, Chelsea will want to win their third group encounter to prevent further losing position in the fight to advance to the knockout stages.

The defending Serie A winners, A.C. Milan, have endured a similarly bumpy start to the new season.

However, the Rossoneri have performed better in the Champions League thus far, earning four points from their first two games to lead Group E with Chelsea in last place.

This is the first competitive match between these two teams since the first group stage (back when there were two) of the 1999-2000 Champions League campaign.

Additionally, they participated three times in the Fairs Cup, currently known as the Europa League, in 1966.

Head-to-head: Chelsea and A.C. Milan have won one game each, while three have been drawn.

After two matches without a victory, Graham Potter's squad is in last place in the group, while the Rossoneri are in top position with four points from six games.

Chelsea has not lost at home to Italian opposition in Europe since March 2010, when they fell 1-0 to Jose Mourinho's Inter Milan. The hosts have gone eight games without defeat at Stamford Bridge but have failed to keep a clean sheet in the same number of meetings in all competitions.

Chelsea F.C.Chelsea F.C.'s predicted lineup

Edouard Mendy has returned to training after suffering a knee injury and will be included in the team; nevertheless, Kepa Arrizabalaga is expected to retain his starting position in Europe.

N'Golo Kante has also resumed training, although the French midfielder will require additional healing time.

Marc Cucurella is also available after recovering from illness, and Jorginho and Kai Havertz, who had minor injuries in the victory over Crystal Palace, are likely to be ready.

Conor Gallagher and Christian Pulisic made game-winning contributions off the bench on Saturday. It remains to be seen whether they have earned the right to start.

Chelsea F.C. predicted line-up- Kepa, Aubameyang, Sterling, James, Fofana, Silva, Chilwell, Mount, Kovacic, Gallagher, and Havertz.

AC Milan's predicted lineup

The Italian Champions' absence of critical players suggests that the away team will be severely depleted for the match. Injuries have ruled out Theo Hernandez, Mike Maignan, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, and Simon Kjaer.

Alexis Saelemaekers and Davide Calabria, both of whom left the victory over Empoli with injuries, are also questionable for the match against Chelsea.

AC Milan's predicted lineup- Tatarusanu, Krunic, De Ketelaere, Leao, Giroud, Dest, Kalulu, Tomori, Ballo-Toure, Tonali, and Bennacer.

Chelsea F.C. VS AC Milan prediction

Chelsea is not yet blazing under Graham Potter, and despite dominating possession in their Saturday comeback victory, they were not particularly outstanding.

Due to Milan's extensive injury list, the home crowd will travel to Stamford Bridge with plenty of anxious excitement. However, Pioli still possesses a wealth of quality options, including two former Blues eager to make an impact upon their return to the capital.

Final prediction: Chelsea 2 AC Milan 0

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