Celtic vs AC Milan: Preseason Showdown at Celtic Park
Celtic Park gets its first real jolt of the new season on Saturday. No trophy, no points at stake, but plenty of noise and scrutiny as Celtic FC close out their preseason against European royalty, AC Milan, in Glasgow.
Kickoff is set for 3 p.m. local time, aligning across Scotland and the rest of the United Kingdom. That’s 10 a.m. ET and 7 a.m. PT in the United States, and 4 p.m. CEST for those watching from Italy.
There’s no traditional television broadcast. The game sits firmly in the streaming era: CelticPlayer, the club’s own platform, will carry the match worldwide, including in the U.S. beIN Sports Connect has it in Australia, DAZN in Belgium, and Sky Sport Calcio in Italy.
Milan Arrive, But Pulisic Stays Home
For AC Milan, the trip to Glasgow marks the first outing under new head coach Rúben Amorim, but it will be missing one of the club’s marquee names.
Christian Pulisic is out. The American forward suffered a bone bruise and a microfracture to his tibia and fibula during the United States’ round-of-16 exit at the World Cup. The injury rules him out for several weeks, though not months, according to CBS Sports, and denies him an early chance to impress his new manager.
Amorim has already made clear he sees a defined 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.”
He is far from the only absentee. A long list of World Cup participants will watch from the sidelines: 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.
New star signing Gonçalo Ramos, an $84 million arrival, is still on vacation and will not feature. The spotlight instead may fall on fellow summer additions Mario Gila and Francesco Camarda, who could make their first appearances in Rossoneri colours.
For Milan, the Celtic Park test is part of a demanding summer schedule. After Glasgow, they head to Australia for a derby with Inter Milan, then face Chelsea and Manchester United before opening their Serie A campaign away to Torino on August 23.
O’Neill Looking for a Spark Before Dundee
On the other side, Celtic arrive at this glamour friendly still searching for something as basic as a preseason win.
Martin O’Neill’s side have stumbled through their warm-up fixtures so far, drawing with Middlesbrough and Shelbourne and suffering a heavy defeat to Sporting CP. Performances have been patchy. Confidence, understandably, is not overflowing.
The stands have told a story of their own. Around 5,000 supporters turned up for the draw with Middlesbrough, a modest crowd by Celtic Park standards and a reflection of the simmering frustration over the club’s transfer business.
O’Neill, though, pushed back on the idea that fans are simply turning away.
“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 are at least some encouraging threads. Camilo Durán, the club’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 carry the attack have quickly made him a central figure in O’Neill’s plans.
Cameron Carter-Vickers’ return might be even more significant. Back from a ruptured ACL, the defender managed an hour in the Middlesbrough match and is expected to feature again here as he builds towards full fitness.
Celtic also welcome back a core of World Cup returnees. Alistair Johnston, Kieran Tierney, Auston Trusty and Yang Hyun-jun are all available and should add both depth and intensity. Daizen Maeda, reportedly close to a move to Ipswich Town, will not be involved.
A Familiar European Foe
This is no novelty fixture. Celtic and Milan share a long, sometimes bruising European history, and Saturday’s friendly is another chapter between two clubs who know each other well.
They have met 12 times, with Milan winning eight of those encounters. Celtic have managed just one victory, with three matches ending level. The numbers underline the gap in European pedigree, but they also highlight the type of opponent Celtic have deliberately chosen to test themselves against on the eve of a new domestic campaign.
For Celtic, the timing is stark. This is the final dress rehearsal before they open their Scottish Premiership season against Dundee on August 3. The questions are obvious: can O’Neill’s team find rhythm, resilience and a cutting edge in time? Can Durán carry his preseason form into competitive action? Will Carter-Vickers’ return stabilise a defence that has already taken a few hits this summer?
For Milan, the stakes are different but no less intriguing. A new coach, a reshaped squad, big-money signings still to join the group on the pitch. Celtic Park, even in preseason, is not a gentle introduction.
One side chases momentum before the real stuff starts. The other chases identity under a new manager. The scoreboard may not define either season, but the questions asked in Glasgow on Saturday afternoon could linger well into the autumn.
