When Chelsea and AC Milan get together on Wednesday night, for a UEFA Champions League group stage clash, it will certainly be a matchup of two sides with a lot of history.
It will also be clash of two clubs where the medical treatment room is getting a lot of work. Chelsea’s medical team is certainly very busy, but Milan’s is currently working overtime shifts. Six first-teamers, including the megalomaniacal and mercurial Zlatan Ibrahimovic, are on the shelf here.
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Chelsea vs AC Milan UCL Group Stage FYIs
Kickoff: Wed Oct 5, 8pm, Stamford Bridge
Chelsea Team News: go here
After Extra Time Pod: Spotify Apple
Group E Standings, Form: Chelsea 4th, 1pt, DL AC Milan 1st, 3 pts, WD
Google Result Probability: Chelsea 57% AC Milan 19% Draw 24%
With that in mind, it’s easy to see why Chelsea are being backed to get their first European win of this campaign in this midweek matchup.
Let’s look at who Graham Potter might select for his first team in this one.
Chelsea FC Starting XI Prediction vs Inter Milan (Champions League)
Kepa; James, Fofana, Silva, Chilwell; Mount, Kovacic, Gallagher; Havertz; Aubameyang, Sterling
Prediction: Chelsea 2, Inter Milan 1
The storied Serie A side is too banged up right now to pull off the upset. Chelsea are about to finally get their season on track; at least a bit.
Paul M. Banks is the owner/manager of The Bank (TheSportsBank.Net) and author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” as well as “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He has regularly appeared in WGN, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune, and he co-hosts the After Extra Time podcast, part of Edge of the Crowd Network. Follow him and the website on Twitter and Instagram.