Celtic vs AC Milan: Heavyweight Preseason Finale
Celtic’s preseason has been scratchy, short on wins and shorter on conviction, but the final dress rehearsal could hardly be bigger. On Saturday, seven-time European champions AC Milan walk out at Celtic Park for a friendly that feels anything but gentle, the last stop before the Scottish Premiership curtain-raiser against Dundee on August 3.
Kickoff is set for 3 p.m. in Glasgow, mirroring the time across the United Kingdom. That’s 10 a.m. ET and 7 a.m. PT for viewers in the United States, and 4 p.m. CEST for those watching from Italy.
There is no traditional television broadcast in the UK. The game sits on CelticPlayer, the club’s in-house streaming service, which will carry the match worldwide, including for American audiences. Rights have been split elsewhere: beIN Sports Connect has the game in Australia, DAZN takes it in Belgium, and Sky Sport Calcio shows it in Italy.
Pulisic Ruled Out of Amorim’s Milan Bow
Rúben Amorim’s first outing in the Milan dugout comes with a notable absentee. Christian Pulisic, one of the Rossoneri’s most influential forwards, will not feature at Celtic Park.
The American suffered a bone bruise and a microfracture to his tibia and fibula during the United States’ World Cup round-of-16 exit. The setback, reported to keep him out for weeks rather than months according to CBS Sports, has halted his momentum just as a new coach arrives with clear ideas.
Amorim has already mapped out where he wants 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.”
Pulisic joins a long list of World Cup participants who will watch from the sidelines on Saturday. 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 as they manage workloads and recoveries.
New striker Gonçalo Ramos, signed for a fee of around $84 million, is still on vacation and will not be involved. The door, though, is open for fresh faces Mario Gila and teenage forward Francesco Camarda, who could make their first appearances in Milan colours.
For Amorim, hired from Manchester United after Milan’s collapse down the Serie A table last season, this is less about the result and more about setting a tone: intensity, structure, and a clear attacking framework without several headline names.
Celtic Chasing First Preseason Win
On the other side, Celtic enter this glamour fixture with a very different kind of pressure. Martin O’Neill’s side have yet to win in preseason, drawing with Middlesbrough and Shelbourne and suffering a heavy defeat to Sporting CP.
The performances have been uneven. The mood around the club, even more so.
The Middlesbrough draw played out in front of roughly 5,000 supporters, a stark figure at Celtic Park and a reflection of simmering frustration over the board’s transfer activity. The empty seats told their own story, but O’Neill pushed back on the idea that fans are turning away from the team.
“It’s pretty expensive to come to games now,” he said, via 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 bright spots. Camilo Durán, Celtic’s only permanent signing of the summer so far, came up with the equaliser against Middlesbrough and looks set to lead the line again against Milan. The club is still waiting for a flurry of reinforcements; in the meantime, Durán has become the early symbol of a lean window.
There is also the return of key figures. Cameron Carter-Vickers, back from a ruptured ACL, managed an hour in the Middlesbrough match and should see more time here as he builds sharpness. World Cup returnees Alistair Johnston, Kieran Tierney, Auston Trusty and Yang Hyun-jun are all available and give O’Neill options across the back line and flanks.
Daizen Maeda will not play, with the forward understood to be closing in on a move to Ipswich Town. His absence strips Celtic of one of their most relentless pressers and runners in behind, forcing O’Neill to tweak his attacking balance against high-level opposition.
A Familiar European Foe
The names, coaches and eras have changed, but Celtic and Milan share a layered European history. This will be their 13th meeting. Milan have won eight of the previous 12, Celtic just one, with three draws sprinkled between Champions League nights and earlier friendlies.
Those numbers underline the scale of the task for a Celtic side still searching for rhythm. Yet they also frame the opportunity. A strong showing against a Milan squad, even one missing several stars, would send the home support into the Dundee opener with something they have lacked so far this summer: belief.
For Milan, the trip to Glasgow is the start of a demanding global swing. After Celtic Park, they head to Australia for a derby against Inter Milan, then face Chelsea and Manchester United before opening their Serie A campaign away to Torino on August 23.
Both clubs, then, arrive at this friendly with more on the line than the word suggests. Celtic need a spark before the real stuff begins. Milan need a foothold under a new manager. Under the lights of a restless Celtic Park, one of them will leave with a clearer idea of where their season is heading.
