The I Rossoneri will play their first match of the competition before taking on Liverpool three days later, and a victory against the defending Serie A champions will guarantee us the trophy. But they will give us a tough test at the Al Maktoum Stadium, so before the match, here is all you need know about them:
Englishman Herbert Kilpin established AC Milan in 1899, and it quickly rose to prominence and received several awards. However, an internal conflict in 1908 resulted in the foundation of Inter Milan, a fierce adversary of AC Milan.
The team saw more Champions League success in 2003 and 2007, but domestic victories were few and far between after the turn of the century, with only two more league championships and one Coppa Italia coming their way.
All of that changed, however, when Milan won their first Scudetto in 11 years last year, narrowly defeating their neighbours Inter by two points. After managing Inter, one of 12 teams he had previously served as manager for over 16 years before to taking over I Rossoneri, veteran manager Stefano Pioli was a contentious decision when he was chosen in October 2019.
Pioli, a center-back who played for Fiorentina, made his managerial debut in Serie A in 2006 at Parma. Before going back to the San Siro to try to win a first major trophy with AC, he had managed Chievo, Palmero, Bologna, Lazio, Inter, and Fiorentina.
In his first full season, he quickly assisted the team in qualifying for the Champions League for the first time since 2013/14 with a second-place result. The following year, he went one step further and secured the long-awaited league victory.
Olivier Giroud, a former Arsenal fan favourite, was acquired by Milan before the start of the previous season, and it turned out to be a brilliant move because he finished the year tied for the league’s top scorer with 11 goals, including a brace on the final day that helped Milan secure the three points necessary for the championship.
Rafael Leao, who scored twice as Portugal advanced to the World Cup quarterfinals, was just behind him in the scoring statistics.However, because they advanced to the tournament’s final rounds, the duo won’t play against us, which also eliminates Fode Ballo-Toure (Senegal), Sergino Dest (USA), and Theo Hernandez (France).
Following their early exits with Denmark and Belgium, respectively, Simon Kjaer and Charles de Ketelaere have been added to the travelling group. Long-term injury worries Mike Maignan and Zlatan Ibrahimovic are also in Dubai in an effort to improve their match fitness.
On the tour are also former Premier League players Fikayo Tomori and Tiemoue Bakayoko of Chelsea, cult figure Divock Origi of Liverpool, and youngster Brahim Diaz of Manchester City.