Chelsea will be bidding to make it a quick-fire double over AC Milan when they head to San Siro in the Champions League tonight.
The Blues recorded a 3-0 victory over the Serie A giants at Stamford Bridge last week, which moved them into second spot in Group E, level on points with third-placed Milan, while Red Bull Salzburg top the section.
Milan were far from their best at Stamford Bridge last week, with the Serie A outfit struggling to get going for the majority of the contest, and it proved to be a routine win for Chelsea, with Wesley Fofana, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Reece James on the scoresheet.
Stefano Pioli’s side opened their Group E campaign with a 1-1 draw against Salzburg on September 6 before recording a 3-1 victory over Dinamo Zagreb in their second match.
The defeat at Chelsea has seen them drop into third, but it is such a tight group at this stage, with just two points separating Dinamo Zagreb in fourth from Salzburg at the summit.
Milan have not progressed to the knockout round of the Champions League since 2013-14, but they have won this competition on seven occasions, which makes them the second-most successful team in the history of the tournament behind Real Madrid, who lifted their 14th trophy last term.
The Red and Blacks will enter this match off the back of a morale-boosting victory over Juventus in Serie A on Saturday night, with Fikayo Tomori and Brahim Diaz on the scoresheet against a disappointing Old Lady, and the result has left them in fourth position in the table, one point off leaders Atalanta BC.
Chelsea were in a difficult position in the group heading into the clash with Milan last week, but the victory has left them second, and they will fancy their chances of progressing to the knockout round from this position.
The Blues suffered a 1-0 defeat to Dinamo Zagreb in their competition opener on September 6 before playing out a 1-1 draw with Salzburg ahead of their three-goal success over Milan.
Graham Potter’s side have now been victorious in their last three games in all competitions, as they recorded a 3-0 win over Wolverhampton Wanderers in the Premier League on Saturday, with Kai Havertz, Christian Pulisic and Armando Broja on the scoresheet at Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea are now fourth in the table and seemingly heading in the right direction under Potter, who has made a positive impression as head coach since replacing the hugely popular Thomas Tuchel at the helm.
The Blues won the Champions League in 2020-21, beating Manchester City in the final, but they were eliminated by Real Madrid in the quarter-finals of last season’s competition and are not currently viewed as one of the favourites to lift the trophy at the end of the campaign.
Milan will be out for revenge and would be expected to deliver a much-improved performance from the Italian champions tonight. Chelsea are showing positive signs under Potter, though, as the Blues have enough quality to secure a share of the spoils at San Siro. – SportsMole
Today’s Champions
League fixtures
AC Milan v Chelsea
Copenhagen v Man City
Shakhtar v Real Madrid
PSG v Benfica
Maccabi Haifa v Juve
Dortmund v Sevilla
Zagreb v RB Salzburg
Celtic v RB Leipzig
