Celtic vs AC Milan: Final Preseason Test Before Scottish Premiership

Celtic have left the glamour fixture for last. On Saturday, Celtic Park welcomes AC Milan, seven-time European champions, for a friendly that feels anything but gentle. For Martin O’Neill’s side, it is the final rehearsal before the Scottish Premiership curtain-raiser against Dundee on August 3. For Milan, it is the first public look at Rúben Amorim’s project in red and black.

Kickoff is set for 3 p.m. in Glasgow, the same across the United Kingdom, 4 p.m. in Italy, 10 a.m. ET and 7 a.m. PT in the United States. The stands will be full; the questions around both clubs even fuller.

How to Watch the Celtic–Milan Clash

There is no traditional television broadcast in the UK. The game belongs to the digital age.

CelticPlayer, the club’s own streaming platform, will carry the match worldwide, including for viewers in the United States. Rights have been split abroad: beIN Sports Connect takes it in Australia, DAZN in Belgium, and Sky Sport Calcio in Italy. For a preseason fixture, it will have the reach and scrutiny of a competitive European night.

Pulisic Sidelined for Amorim’s Milan Debut

One of the headline names will not step onto the pitch. Christian Pulisic, the face of American men’s football and one of Milan’s key attacking pieces, misses out after a brutal World Cup knock.

The forward suffered a bone bruise and microfracture to his tibia and fibula during the United States’ round-of-16 exit. The damage is serious enough to rule him out for several weeks, but not months, according to CBS Sports. It is a setback for Pulisic and an early complication for Amorim.

This is the Portuguese coach’s first game in charge of Milan after being hired away from Manchester United in the wake of the Rossoneri’s collapse down the Serie A table last season. He already has a clear vision for Pulisic’s role once the winger is fit again.

“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.”

The American is not alone in missing out. A long list of World Cup participants will sit this one out: Mike Maignan, Pervis Estupiñán, Koni De Winter, Adrien Rabiot, Ardon Jashari, Luka Modrić, Rafael Leão, Alexis Saelemaekers and Santiago Giménez are all expected to remain on the sidelines.

New signing Gonçalo Ramos, an $84 million arrival, is still on vacation and will not feature. The spotlight may instead fall on other fresh faces. Mario Gila and teenage forward Francesco Camarda could make their first appearances in Milan colours, offering a glimpse of the next wave under Amorim.

Celtic Still Chasing First Preseason Win

Across the halfway line, Celtic arrive at their showpiece friendly without a preseason victory. The performances have been uneven: a draw with Middlesbrough, another with Shelbourne, and a heavy defeat to Sporting CP. The results themselves do not define a season, but they do set a tone.

The atmosphere off the pitch has been as much of a talking point as anything on it. Only around 5,000 supporters turned up for the Middlesbrough draw, a strikingly low figure for a club that usually packs out its home. Some of that has been framed as a protest against the board’s transfer dealings.

O’Neill, though, has pushed back on the idea that apathy is creeping in.

“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 a few bright spots. Camilo Durán, the club’s only permanent signing so far this summer, scored the equaliser against Middlesbrough and is expected to lead the line again. The Argentine’s movement and willingness to carry responsibility have quickly made him central to O’Neill’s plans.

Cameron Carter-Vickers, back from a ruptured ACL, played an hour in that same match and should be handed more minutes here as he builds towards full sharpness. His return stabilises a defence that badly missed his authority last season.

O’Neill can also call on a cluster of World Cup returnees: Alistair Johnston, Kieran Tierney, Auston Trusty and Yang Hyun-jun are all available and in varying stages of readiness. One notable absentee is Daizen Maeda, who will not feature as he edges closer to a move to Ipswich Town.

A Familiar European Foe

This may be a friendly, but there is history between these two clubs. Celtic and Milan have met 12 times in competitive fixtures. The Italians dominate the record: eight wins, three draws, and just one Celtic victory.

Those numbers do not count for anything on a July afternoon, yet they frame the challenge. Celtic face a club accustomed to operating on a different financial and competitive tier, even as Milan themselves try to claw their way back to the top of Serie A under a new coach.

For Milan, this is the start of a demanding tour. After Glasgow, they head to Australia to face Inter Milan, then take on Chelsea and Manchester United before opening their league campaign away to Torino on August 23. The schedule is unforgiving; the expectations even more so.

For Celtic, it is simpler. Ninety minutes against elite opposition, in front of a full house, to answer one question: are they ready for Dundee and the long domestic slog to come?