Celtic vs AC Milan: Preseason Showdown in Glasgow
Celtic’s preseason has been a slow burn. On Saturday, it gets a jolt of electricity. Seven-time European champions AC Milan walk into Celtic Park for a friendly that feels anything but gentle, doubling as the final rehearsal before the Scottish Premiership curtain-raiser against Dundee on August 3.
Kickoff is set for 3 p.m. local time in Glasgow and across the UK, 10 a.m. ET and 7 a.m. PT in the United States, and 4 p.m. CEST in Italy. There’s no traditional TV coverage, but CelticPlayer carries the match worldwide, with beIN Sports Connect, DAZN and Sky Sport Calcio taking the feed in Australia, Belgium and Italy.
Amorim’s Milan Without Pulisic
Rúben Amorim’s first game in charge of Milan comes with a notable absentee. Christian Pulisic, the club’s high-profile American forward, will not feature at Celtic Park after suffering a bone bruise and microfracture to his tibia and fibula during the United States’ World Cup round-of-16 exit. The injury, reported to rule him out for weeks rather than months, delays his reunion with British crowds.
Amorim, prised from Manchester United after Milan’s alarming slide down the Serie A table last season, has already made clear how he intends to use Pulisic once he is fit.
“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.”
He is far from the only big name missing. Mike Maignan, Pervis Estupiñán, Koni De Winter, Adrien Rabiot, Ardon Jashari, Luka Modrić, Rafael Leão, Alexis Saelemaekers and Santiago Giménez are all expected to sit this one out after their World Cup exertions. New €84 million signing Gonçalo Ramos is still on holiday.
There could, however, be first Milan minutes for Mario Gila and teenage prodigy Francesco Camarda, both summer arrivals eager to impress a new coach and a demanding fanbase.
Once they leave Glasgow, Milan head for Australia to face Inter before dates with Chelsea and Manchester United complete a heavyweight preseason schedule ahead of their Serie A opener at Torino on August 23.
Celtic Chasing a First Win – and a Spark
On the other side, Celtic are still waiting for their first preseason victory. Martin O’Neill’s side have drawn with Middlesbrough and Shelbourne and been comfortably beaten by Sporting CP. The results alone would be enough to stir concern; the sight of a sparsely populated Celtic Park against Middlesbrough sharpened the mood.
Only around 5,000 supporters turned up for that draw, a figure that has fed into the ongoing discontent over the board’s transfer work. O’Neill, though, pointed to wallets rather than waning passion.
“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.”
On the pitch, there have been a few encouraging notes. Camilo Durán, the club’s lone permanent signing of the summer so far, scored the equaliser against Middlesbrough and is expected to lead the line again. His movement and willingness to shoulder responsibility have been timely for a side still searching for rhythm.
Cameron Carter-Vickers, back after a ruptured ACL, played an hour in that same match and should be given more work against Milan, a significant step in his recovery and vital for Celtic’s defensive structure. World Cup returnees Alistair Johnston, Kieran Tierney, Auston Trusty and Yang Hyun-jun are all available and add a layer of experience that has been missing in patches.
Daizen Maeda, by contrast, will not feature as he edges closer to a move to Ipswich Town, removing another familiar attacking option from O’Neill’s arsenal at a delicate moment in preseason.
A Fixture Heavy With History, Light on Margin for Error
Celtic and Milan know each other well on the European stage. They have met 12 times, Milan winning eight of those encounters, Celtic just once, with three draws. The names, the shirts, the stadium – even in a friendly, the pairing carries weight.
For Milan, this is about installing Amorim’s ideas, bedding in new faces and reasserting standards after last season’s collapse. For Celtic, it is about far more immediate concerns: a first win of the summer, a performance to lift the mood, and evidence that the pieces are coming together before Dundee arrive in a week’s time.
The stakes are unofficial. The questions are not.
