Chelsea vs AC Milan: Blues Can Finally Get Off Mark in Europe

• Chelsea have had a slow start to the Champions League campaign and need a win
• AC Milan would consider a tie to be a decent result at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday
• Graham Potter can pick up his first ever win in Europe’s premier competition

Chelsea vs AC Milan Odds

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Chelsea vs AC Milan Pick

The Blues will be tested by the reigning Italian champions, but this is the game where they can pick up their first win of the European season.

Back a tie at half-time and a Chelsea win at full-time (+370)

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When the draw for the group stage of the 2022/23 Champions League was made last month, Chelsea fans were reasonably content. AC Milan are the Serie A champions but they have not done much in European competition over the last decade. Red Bull Salzburg are a decent team yet they are not exactly regulars in the latter stages of this tournament, while Dinamo Zagreb have never made it into the knockout phase. Chelsea were the heavy favorites to advance as Group E winners.

Yet after two rounds of fixtures, the Blues sit bottom of their segment. That is despite the fact they are yet to face Milan, the other team that was widely fancied to make it through to the round of 16 after the 2022 World Cup. Chelsea began their campaign with a 1-0 defeat by Dinamo Zagreb which led to the sacking of Thomas Tuchel. His exit was not solely because of that loss, but it seemed to confirm to co-owner Todd Boehly that a change was needed.

Tuchel arguably should have been given more time to turn the situation around – he did lead Chelsea to Champions League glory in 2021, after all – but Graham Potter is now the man in the dugout. His first game in charge came less than a week after his appointment, so he did not have much time to get his ideas across. Even so, a 1-1 draw at home to Red Bull Salzburg leaves Chelsea with plenty of work to do as they seek to make it through to the last 16 for the fourth season in a row.

There were positives to take from the performance against Salzburg. Chelsea really ought to have won, but spurned opportunities came back to cost them as their Austrian opponents equalized in the closing stages. Potter will hope his new team does not make the same mistake on Wednesday.

AC Milan Would Probably Settle for a Point on Matchday Three

Milan will arrive at Stamford Bridge in a more comfortable position having taken four points from the first six on offer. Stefano Pioli’s side sits top of the Group E standings as the midway point of the group phase approaches, and they may well settle for a point this week. That would be a decent result away from home and leave Chelsea, who arguably remain their chief rivals for the top spot despite a slow start, winless after three matches.

Milan returned to the top of the Italian soccer tree last term by winning Serie A for the first time since 2011. It is not just at home that the Rossoneri disappointed for much of the last decade: they achieved little in Europe too. Milan remain the second-most successful side in Champions League history, with their seven triumphs bettered only by Real Madrid’s 14, but they have not come close to adding the eighth crown to their names since their most recent victory in 2007.

Reaching the quarter-finals would represent a good achievement for Pioli’s men, whose domestic success last season does not mean they are suddenly ready to mix it with the likes of Madrid, Liverpool, Manchester City, and Bayern Munich.

They certainly performed well against Dinamo Zagreb last time out, though, as goals from Olivier Giroud, Alexis Saelemaekers and Tommaso Pobega gave Milan a 3-1 win. Chelsea are the favorites with the best online sportsbooks, but the Rossoneri should not be written off.

Chelsea Can Kick-Start Their European Campaign With a Win

It is still early days, of course, but Chelsea will struggle to mount a sustained Premier League title tilt this term. In truth, it will be hard for any of Manchester City’s competitors to match the relentlessness of Pep Guardiola’s team, who have won four of the last five championships in England. But Chelsea are one of several sides that could win the Champions League, a knockout tournament where consistency is not quite as important as it is in the league.

Wednesday’s match is not technically a must-win, but a failure to emerge triumphant would leave Chelsea needing victories in each of their last three games to stand a realistic chance of progressing to the knockout phase. The stakes are high, then, and Milan – under less pressure considering their results to date – will look to take advantage of any tension among their opponents and the home fans.

But while Milan should be able to hold their own against the Blues, we are backing Potter’s team to eventually find a way through. The odds on a tie at half-time and a Chelsea win at full-time are sufficiently attractive to take that bet up.

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