Chelsea will take on another traditional Italian powerhouse, this time AC Milan, on Saturday. The opponent was Juventus last time out, and the Blues fell 1-0, in a match where they were without the services of Cole Palmer and Levi Colwill. Both were only nursing minor issues, so they should be available for this match.
It wouldn’t be totally accurate to label Palmer and Colwill as “doubts,” they’re more like “probables.”
Chelsea FC vs AC Milan FYIs
Kickoff: 1pm UK BST- Sat. Aug 8, 2026.
Where: Gelora Bung Karno (GBK), Central Jakarta, Indonesia
Chelsea Preview Material: Team News Starting XI Prediction
Series History: Chelsea wins: 8 AC Milan wins: 2 Draws: 1
Team News for Both Sides
Otherwise Chelsea have no new injury concerns at this time.
Shifting gears to Milan, Mario Gila is out injured, as his Christian Pulisic. He won’t get the opportunity to face his former club here, as he’s dealing with a thigh injury.
Coming off a disastrous, injury-riddled World Cup with the USA squad, Pulisic went from American hero to national villain pretty quickly.
He said a couple of the wrong things, here and there, but his body language said so much more, and none of it was not good. Chelsea fans certainly know what it’s like to hear that Pulisic is injured.
While Pulisic won’t be able to face his former mates in this one, Fikayo Tomori, Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Christopher Nkunku all will.
In terms of World Cup absentees, Mike Maignan is the only one for Milan.
Meanwhile Chelsea have a few more, and the list consists of Reece James, Enzo Fernandez (who is apparently staying put this summer trasnfer window) and Malo Gusto as well as new signings Maxence Lacroix and Morgan Rogers.
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to USA Today’s NFL Wires Network, Ratings and RG. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Forbes and the Washington Post.