Celtic Faces AC Milan in Preseason Showdown

Celtic Park gets its first real jolt of the new season on Saturday. Not for points, not for trophies, but for a visit from one of Europe’s aristocrats and a final, sharp look at where Martin O’Neill’s team really stand.

AC Milan, seven-time kings of Europe, arrive in Glasgow for a friendly that feels anything but gentle. For Celtic, it is the last rehearsal before the Scottish Premiership curtain-raiser against Dundee on August 3. For Milan, it is the opening act of the Rúben Amorim era.

Kickoff is at 3 p.m. local time in Scotland and across the UK, 10 a.m. ET and 7 a.m. PT in the United States, and 4 p.m. CEST in Italy.

There is no traditional TV broadcast. CelticPlayer, the club’s in-house streaming service, will carry the game worldwide, including for American viewers, with beIN Sports Connect, DAZN and Sky Sport Calcio picking it up in Australia, Belgium and Italy.

Pulisic Sidelined as Amorim Starts Milan Tenure

The first Milan lineup under Amorim will be missing one of its marquee names. Christian Pulisic, injured during the United States’ round-of-16 exit at the World Cup, is out with a bone bruise and microfracture to his tibia and fibula. The setback will keep him out for several weeks, not months, according to CBS Sports.

So Amorim’s debut comes without the American forward, but not without a plan for him.

“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.”

That vision will have to wait.

And Pulisic is far from alone on the absentee list. A long roll call of World Cup participants is expected to 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 set to watch from the sidelines.

New striker Gonçalo Ramos, signed for around $84 million, remains on holiday. The big-money forward will not feature, though fellow summer arrivals Mario Gila and teenage prodigy Francesco Camarda could make their first appearances in Rossoneri colours.

Amorim, hired from Manchester United after Milan’s alarming slide down the Serie A table last season, will still have enough quality to test Celtic. The question is how quickly his ideas take root.

Celtic Still Chasing a First Preseason Win

On the other side, Celtic come into this showcase still searching for their first preseason victory. The build-up has been scratchy: draws with Middlesbrough and Shelbourne, and a heavy defeat to Sporting CP.

Results in July rarely tell the full story, but they do shape a mood. Around 5,000 supporters turned up for the Middlesbrough draw, a modest figure for a club of Celtic’s scale and a fanbase renowned for filling this stadium. The backdrop is familiar: frustration over the board’s transfer business and a sense that more is needed before the real games begin.

O’Neill, though, pointed to the cost of following a club that always seems to be in motion.

“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, at least one new face has offered encouragement. Camilo Durán, the club’s only permanent signing of the summer so far, scored the equaliser against Middlesbrough and is set to lead the line again. His energy and eye for goal give Celtic something to build around in attack.

There is more good news at the back. Cameron Carter-Vickers, returning from a ruptured ACL, managed an hour in that Middlesbrough match and should feature again, an important step for a defender who anchors so much of Celtic’s defensive structure.

World Cup returnees Alistair Johnston, Kieran Tierney, Auston Trusty and Yang Hyun-jun are all available, adding depth and a more familiar look to the side. Daizen Maeda, however, will not play as he edges closer to a move to Ipswich Town.

History, Stakes and the Road Ahead

These clubs know each other well enough. Twelve previous meetings, eight Milan wins, just one for Celtic, and three draws. The Italians carry the historical weight, the glamour, the medals. Celtic carry the noise of their home ground and the urgency of a team that has yet to click this summer.

For Milan, this is the first step on a long tour. After Glasgow, they fly to Australia for a derby against Inter, then face Chelsea and Manchester United before opening their Serie A campaign away to Torino on August 23.

For Celtic, there is no such luxury. This is it. One last chance to tighten the press, sharpen the finishing, and convince a restless support that the foundations are stronger than the preseason scores suggest.

When the whistle blows on Saturday, the scoreboard will not define the season. But the performance might hint at whether O’Neill’s side are ready for Dundee, and whether a night under the lights against a European giant can still light the fuse on a campaign that has yet to catch fire.