Milan have been drawn into Group E of the Champions League, where they’ll face Chelsea, RB Salzburg and Dinamo Zagreb.
The Rossoneri failed to progress past the group stages in their Champions League return last season, so they’ll be hoping to improve upon things this campaign, fresh off the back of their Scudetto winning season.
Chelsea will likely prove Milan’s toughest opponents in Group E, although history suggests that the pair often share balanced games. RB Salzburg and Dinamo Zagreb will also prove difficult to overcome, although Pioli’s side will feel more confident in these clashes.
Milan have faced Chelsea in five competitive games in the past, with their most recent meeting coming in the 1999-2000 season. Both group games ended in a draw, 0-0 in London and 1-1 in Milan. Their other three meetings came in the 1965-66 campaign, when they faced off in the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup. Both teams won a game each then, drawing the other clash.
Milan and RB Salzburg have met twice in the past, although they were known under their previous name SV Austria Salzburg at the time. The two games came in the 1994-95 Champions League campaign and the Rossoneri won both comfortably, something they’ll be hoping to repeat this season.
Finally, Dinamo Zagreb have challenged Milan six times in the past, picking up only one win and one draw in that time. In the 2000-21 season, Milan secured confident wins in both meetings in the Champions League third round, repeating the double over the Croatian side that they pulled off in the Cup Winners’ Cup in the 1973-74 campaign. Dinamo Zagreb’s only win over Milan came in 1966.
I certainly appreciate the history, but all of these results are so old, they are completely irrelevant. Chelsea is a better squad than Milan; Milan, I would give an edge over the other two, but nothing is easy. See Milan against Porto last year.