Fair to say, pretty much everything is unknown when it comes to Celtic's plans for the near future. The Hoops don't yet have a manager, seemingly choosing between sticking with Martin O'Neill or appointing Ferencváros boss Robbie Keane.
Potentially as a result of this, the Celts are yet to announce any pre-season fixtures either. However, that could be about to change. As reported by Gazzetta dello Sport, the Scottish champions are set to take on AC Milan in pre-season. The fixture would be played at Parkhead on Saturday 25 July, less than a week after the World Cup final in East Rutherford.
The Celts have previously met the seven-times Champions League winner on 12 occasions in UEFA competition, with little success.
Celtic vs AC Milan head-to-head record
- Matches Played:Â 12.
- Celtic Wins: 1. Draws: 3. AC Milan Wins: 8.
Celtic vs AC Milan previous encounters
Season | Competition | Scores |
|---|---|---|
1968/69 | European Cup quarter-finals | AC Milan 0-0 Celtic |
2004/05 | Champions League Group F | AC Milan 3-1 Celtic |
2006/07 | Champions League last 16 | Celtic 0-0 AC Milan |
2007/08 | Champions League Group D | Celtic 2-1 AC Milan |
2013/14 | Champions League Group H | AC Milan 2-0 Celtic |
2020/21 | Europa League Group H | Celtic 1-3 AC Milan |
Note: Information courtesy of Transfermarkt.
Celtic's one and only victory over AC Milan was a famous one, prevailing 2-1 in October 2007, courtesy of Scott McDonald's stoppage time winner. This came at a time when the Rossoneri were actually European champions, with the pair clashing in three out of four season during the mid-200s.
Well, they won't be clashing in this season's Champions League, after Milan endured a nightmare collapse towards the end of the Serie A season. As recently as February, they were in the title race, only to slide down to fifth on the final day, following six defeats from their final ten outings. As a result, Massimiliano Allegri was sacked, with Oliver Glasner and Mauricio Pochettino the favourites for the job. However, were Celtic to fail in the play-off round, as they did last August, the duo could meet in the Europa League, doing just that in 2020, with Milan winning both group fixtures behind-closed-doors.
Once this friendly is officially announced, Celtic's pre-season plans will surely start to take shape. Right now, what are the key dates that we know?
Celtic's key dates for the summer
- Thursday 18 June - noon: SPFL fixture release date.
- Saturday 25 July - expected 3pm. Celtic vs AC Milan pre-season friendly.
- Sunday 26 July - around 5:15pm: Scottish League Cup second round draw.
- Saturday 1 August - Scottish Premiership opening day.
- Monday 3 August - 11am: UEFA Champions League play-off round draw.
- Saturday 15 August - Scottish League Cup second round matches to be played.
- Tue 18/Wed 19 August - 8pm: UEFA Champions League play-off first leg.
- Tue 25/Wed 26 August - 8pm: UEFA Champions League play-off second leg.
- Thursday 27 August - 5pm: UEFA Champions League league phase draw.
- Tuesday 1 September - 11pm. Scottish transfer window closes.
It is now just over a fortnight until SPFL fixture release date, at which point the start of Celtic's season will become a lot clearer. Of course, the most important matches they will play in August are the Champions League play-offs, with AEK Athens, LASK, Kairat, Viking, Lech Poznań, AGF, Mjällby, Slovan Bratislava, Omonia and Celje their current eclectic list of potential opponents.
This soon to be announced friendly against AC Milan, just a week before the SPFL season begins, should build excitement in Glasgow's East End. Nevertheless, off-field events between now and then will certainly shape the mood among the fanbase.
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