UEFA Champions League: Chelsea vs. AC Milan Preview, Odds, Prediction

Chelsea meets AC Milan at Stamford Bridge in the third round of the UEFA Champions League. The Blues didn’t start the season well, and have problems in all the competitions. On the other end, Milan is in a solid position, suffering just one loss so far but having a couple of draws in places where they didn’t expect that. They have no pressure before this event, unlike the hosts who have to take three points; otherwise, their knockout-stage prospects become pretty pale.

Preview

Chelsea (-120) has been playing hot and cold since the start of the year. Though, the negative moments have been more frequent than the good ones. They squeezed out a win on the road against Crystal Palace with Conor Gallagher’s wonderful goal in the closing minutes of the game at Selhurst.

The Blues have three wins in the past six games, and are highly unstable. One day they beat West Ham, the other loses in Zagreb against Dinamo, or play just 1-1 at home against Red Bull Salzburg. That’s why they have just one point after two UCL rounds and have to beat Milan.

Chelsea’s defense allowed at least a goal in the past six games, which is terrible, knowing how much money they spent on defenders in the last transfer window. On five occasions, the games saw both teams netting, and six of the past seven Blues’ events saw a moderate efficiency, 2 or 3 goals.

AC Milan (+400) won three of the past four, with the sole loss coming to Napoli at home, 1-2. In fact, it is the sole defeat Rossoneri suffered this year, and apart from that, they have five wins and three draws. Stefano Pioli’s boys beat Empoli away from home on Saturday night, 1-3, following a stunning finish, that saw three goals in the last 10 minutes plus the stoppage time.

This contest was the fifth in the last six that saw at least three goals, and all of those half a dozen ended with hits on both ends. In general, this is how AC Milan played throughout the last two years, yet somehow, they managed to score more goals than the rivals and win.

The Italian champs have three draws on the road, and two wins since the campaign began. Their performances have been a bit more conservative but still produce goals, with four ending with both teams netting.

Latest News

Cucurella, Mendy, Kante, and Chukwuemeka are all our for the hosts, due to injuries. Even though some have minor problems, they aren’t expected to play on Tuesday night.

Origi is still unavailable, Maignan, Ibrahimovic, Hernandez, and Florenzi are also out for this event. There is a certain hope that Hernandez might appear in the protocol, but it is far from confirmed.

Head to Head Games

The two sides have met five times in the previous century. The record is neutral, with both having one win each, and three draws, scoring and allowing five goals. Pretty interesting, wouldn’t you say?

Prediction

We are taking a moderate efficiency here meaning, two or three goals. There won’t be fireworks when it comes to efficiency, but on the other hand, having in mind that the respective defenses aren’t stable, we expect at least two hits.

Pick: Moderate efficiency, 2 or 3 goals +105

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