With an away victory, Chelsea can run their unbeaten streak under Graham Potter to five matches while also moving into a great position to qualify from Group E in the Champions League. The defense has been more settled now despite Potter needing to rotate his side regularly while Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is also finding his form under the English manager. WIth N'Golo Kante returning to fitness, the mood is brighter around the Blues than it has been since the season got underway.
AC Milan has been a strong side in a tight Serie A with only one loss all season but losing 3-0 to Chelsea at Stamford Bridge last week could have been demoralizing heading into the reverse fixture. But a win over Juventus last weekend has this team back on track. A stronger performance will be needed from Rafael Leao pushing the attack forward while it will be interesting to see if American full-back Sergino Dest is given another chance in the lineup after a horror show of a match when these two teams last met.
Here's our storylines, how you can watch the match and more:
How to watch and odds
- Date: Tuesday, Oct. 11 | Time: 3 p.m. ET
- Location: San Sirio -- Milan
- TV: None | Live stream: Paramount+
- Odds: AC Milan +210; Draw +230; Chelsea +135 (via Caesars Sportsbook)
Storylines
AC Milan: Injuries have hit AC Mian hard as Charles De Ketelaere, Alexis Saelemakers, Simon Kager, Davide Calabria, Allesandro Florenzi, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Mike Maignan will all miss the match. AC Milan have struggled to create shots in Champions League, only putting 11 shots on target which is good for 20th in the competition. With good passing, Chelsea will allow chances, but as AC Milan can't rely on their banged up defense to pull out matches, they'll need to push the match in attack.
Chelsea: While Kante is back in training he'll miss the match along with Wesley Fofana. Outside of the duo, Potter will have a full squad to choose from which could see him make only one enforced change from the home leg with Trevoh Chalobah coming in at center back for Fofana.
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Prediction
In the reverse fixture it will be tough for AC Milan to shake a 3-0 loss even with home-pitch advantage as Chelsea's new manager bounce continues under Potter. Pick: Chelsea 2, AC Milan 1
