Celtic vs AC Milan: Final Preseason Clash
Celtic have left the glamour fixture until last. On Saturday, under a Glasgow sky that will feel more like late summer business than preseason easing, seven-time European champions AC Milan arrive at Celtic Park for a friendly that is anything but gentle in its implications.
This is Celtic’s final rehearsal before the Scottish Premiership curtain-raiser against Dundee on August 3. Kickoff is 3 p.m. local time, mirroring the rest of the United Kingdom, 10 a.m. ET and 7 a.m. PT for American viewers, and 4 p.m. CEST in Italy. The stadium, the name, the timing – it all carries the weight of a dress rehearsal that has to go right.
There is no traditional television broadcast in the UK. The match sits in the modern, fragmented landscape: CelticPlayer, the club’s own streaming service, carries it worldwide, including to the United States. beIN Sports Connect shows it in Australia, DAZN in Belgium, Sky Sport Calcio in Italy. If supporters want to see it, they will have to go looking.
Pulisic Sidelined as Amorim Era Begins
The headline act on Milan’s team sheet will be missing. Christian Pulisic, the American star who has become a central figure at San Siro, will not feature in Rúben Amorim’s first game in charge of the Rossoneri.
Pulisic suffered a bone bruise and microfracture to his tibia and fibula during the United States’ World Cup round-of-16 exit. The damage is serious enough to keep him out for several weeks, though not months, according to CBS Sports. For Milan, and for a manager trying to stamp his identity on a squad that faltered badly in Serie A last season, it is an early complication.
Amorim, hired from Manchester United after that slide down the Italian table, has already mapped out a role for Pulisic once he returns.
“Pulisic is a highly talented player, but unfortunately, he got injured again,” Amorim said, as quoted by CBS Sports. “I have an idea of where I want to see him play — on the left as an inverted winger.”
That vision will have to wait. So will a number of other stars.
- Mike Maignan
- Pervis Estupiñán
- Koni De Winter
- Adrien Rabiot
- Ardon Jashari
- Luka Modrić
- Rafael Leão
- Alexis Saelemaekers
- Santiago Giménez
are all expected to sit this one out after their World Cup exertions. New signing Gonçalo Ramos, an $84 million arrival, is still on holiday.
The door opens instead for fresh faces. Mario Gila and teenage forward Francesco Camarda, both summer additions, could make their first appearances in Milan colours. For Amorim, it is a chance to test depth, experiment with structure and feel the temperature of a squad that must respond quickly after last season’s collapse.
Celtic Chasing First Win and a Bit of Belief
On the other side, Celtic enter this game still searching for something as basic as a preseason victory – and something more intangible: rhythm, conviction, a sense that the pieces are falling into place.
Martin O’Neill’s team have yet to win in their warm-up schedule. They have drawn with Middlesbrough and Shelbourne and been thrashed by Sporting CP. Performances have been patchy. Confidence, understandably, has not soared.
The crowd numbers have told their own story. Around 5,000 supporters turned up for the Middlesbrough draw, a sparse figure at a ground that usually swells with noise, against a backdrop of discontent over the club’s transfer business.
O’Neill, though, pointed away from apathy and towards the cost of loyalty.
“It’s pretty expensive to come to games now,” he said, as quoted by GlasgowWorld. “We’ve got a game against AC Milan next week, so if some people are coming to both games, that’s a lot of money.”
The Milan visit, then, becomes both a financial and footballing marker. A full house, or close to it, would restore some of Celtic Park’s usual menace. A strong performance would go a long way toward cooling the temperature around the boardroom.
On the pitch, there are at least some encouraging signs. Camilo Durán, Celtic’s only permanent signing of the summer so far, scored the equaliser against Middlesbrough and looks set to lead the line again. His sharpness and willingness to shoulder responsibility have been one of the few bright threads in a subdued preseason.
Cameron Carter-Vickers, back from a ruptured ACL, played an hour in that match and should feature again as he builds minutes and confidence. His return is critical for Celtic’s defensive structure and leadership.
World Cup returnees Alistair Johnston, Kieran Tierney, Auston Trusty and Yang Hyun-jun are all available, giving O’Neill more options and a stronger spine. Daizen Maeda, reportedly close to a move to Ipswich Town, will not play, his absence underlining the sense of a squad in transition.
A Familiar Foe, a Different Kind of Test
History leans heavily towards the visitors. The clubs have met 12 times, with Milan winning eight of those encounters. Celtic have just one victory; three matches have ended level. The names and managers have changed, but the weight of that record lingers.
This time, though, the stakes are different. No European nights, no knockout jeopardy. Instead, two clubs at distinct points in their own rebuilds share a stage that will ask searching questions of both.
For Milan, it is the first step in a demanding tour. After Glasgow, they fly to Australia to face Inter Milan, then take on Chelsea and Manchester United before opening their Serie A campaign away to Torino on August 23. Every outing is a chance for Amorim to refine his approach, to decide who he trusts when the real points are on the line.
For Celtic, there is no such luxury of time. Dundee arrive at Celtic Park in a week’s time. The patterns that have stuttered in July must click. The new signing up front needs service. The returning centre-back needs protection. The crowd, restless and watchful, needs a reason to believe.
AC Milan under a new coach, Celtic under pressure, a packed stadium and a final rehearsal that feels a little too sharp-edged to be called a friendly.
If this is only the warm-up, what happens when the season really starts?
