Manchester City F.C.
·3 Juli 2024
USA Tour 2024: AC Milan Scout Report
USA Tour 2024: AC Milan Scout Report | OneFootball
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A deep dive into City’s second opponents ahead of our pre-season tour of the United States of America.
Pep Guardiola’s side will play four matches in collaboration with FC Series, a showcase for international clubs with matches across the US.
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This starts with a fixture with Celtic followed by meetings with AC Milan, Barcelona and Chelsea.
The first men’s team to win four straight English top-flight titles will face the Italian giants on Saturday 27 July at Yankee Stadium, New York City – with kick-off scheduled for 23:00 (UK).
Tickets are available to purchase here, while the match will also be shown live around the world on CITY+.
Ahead of City’s return to the USA, we take a quick look at what AC Milan will have in store, including their key players and historic successes.
HISTORY
AC Milan are one of world football’s most iconic clubs having won a swathe of domestic and continental honours.
I Rossoneri have won an incredible 19 Serie A titles, two Serie B championships, five Coppa Italias and seven Supercoppa Italianas – making them one of Italy’s most decorated teams.
That success has also translated on the international stage in the form of a staggering seven European Cups/Champions Leagues, two European Cup Winners’ Cups and one FIFA Club World Cup.
What’s more, AC Milan boast the record for the most UEFA Super Cups with five.
Their most recent league triumph came in 2021/22 when they pipped rivals Inter to the crown by two points and they last won the Champions League in 2007 when beating Liverpool 2-1 in Athens.
Not only have they garnered worldwide acclaim for their exploits on the field, but they also play their home matches at one of the recognisable and beloved stadiums in the sport – the San Siro - since 1926.
MANAGER: PAULO FONSECA
AC Milan will have a new face in the dugout for the first time since 2019 following the appointment of Paulo Fonseca this summer.
After a two-year spell at Lille in Ligue 1, the Portuguese manager has replaced the outgoing Stefano Pioli after helping the French club to fifth and fourth place finishes across the past two seasons.
This came after Fonseca’s first stint in Italy where he led Roma between 2019 and 2021, but it was during his tenure at Shakhtar Donetsk where the 51-year-old enjoyed the most success of his coaching career to date.
Between 2016 and 2019, he helped them to three straight Ukrainian Premier League titles, three consecutive Ukrainian Cups and a Ukrainian Super Cup in 2017.
He also led Shakhtar with distinction in the Champions League, reaching the Round of 16 in 2017/18 after beating City 2-1 at home – inflicting Guardiola’s first defeat at the Club in 29 matches at the time.
KEY PLAYERS
AC Milan have a concoction of skill, pace and trickery on either wing in the form of Christian Pulisic and Rafael Leo who registered a combined 30 goals and 26 assists between them last term in all competitions.
The United States of America international is a familiar face to City fans following his time at Chelsea between 2019 and 2023 and he enjoyed a strong maiden season at the San Siro.
Pulisic made 50 appearances in total after joining from the Londoners with 36 of those coming in Serie A.
On the opposite flank, Leao has earned the status as one of Italian football’s finest operators across 210 appearances since his move to AC Milan from Lille in 2019.
Blisteringly quick speed and a keen eye for goal has made him one of I Rossoneri’s key orchestrators after playing 47 times last term, scoring 15 and registering 14 assists.
LINKS TO CITY
Although City and AC Milan’s meetings have been limited, several players have plied their trade for both men’s sides over the years.
Perhaps the most notable is Mario Balotelli who helped the Club to our maiden Premier League crown in 2012 before enjoying to spells at the San Siro between 2013 and 2014 and in 2015/16.
The Italian striker played 80 times for the Blues, scoring 30 goals and also registering the assist for Sergio Aguero’s euphoric 93:20 goal against QPR in our epic 3-2 win at the Etihad Stadium in 2012.
He then scored 28 goals in his first stint at AC Milan before a permanent move to Liverpool in the summer of 2014 but returned to the Italian giants on loan in the summer of 2015.
Other notable players to have featured for both include George Weah, Patrick Vieira and Nigel de Jong.
Milan have had a huge impact on City, however, with their famous red and black home shirt inspiring our iconic away kit.
PREVIOUS MEETINGS
The meeting between City and AC Milan will represent only the fourth time the teams have locked horns – with the two competitive fixtures coming in the 1978 UEFA Cup.
Tony Book’s side took the lead at the San Siro through Brian Kidd in November 1978 before we doubled our advantage through an unchallenged run and shot by Paul Power.
Milan hit back almost immediately through Alberto Bigon before the Italian side levelled the scores in the 83rd minute in an enthralling 2-2 draw.
Then, two weeks later, we produced a fantastic display to record a 3-0 win at Maine Road which sealed our progression into the quarter-finals.
A total of 36 years passed before the sides met again when Manuel Pellegrini’s side kicked-off our three match tour of the United States with a comprehensive 5-1 win.
2023/24 PERFORMANCE
In Pioli’s last term at the AC Milan helm, the Italian side finished second in Serie A on 75 points – although 20 behind champions Inter.
They won seven of their first eight matches which saw them lead the pack before they went four games without a win - meaning they relinquished their place at the summit.
Following the short run without a victory, they went on to lose just four more times in the division which helped them climb to second.
In the Coppa Italia, they beat Cagliari 4-1 in the Round of 16 before a narrow 2-1 defeat to Atalanta in the last-eight.
And on the European front, Milan collected eight points across their six Champions League assignments and their final group win over Newcastle in 2023/24 meant they finish third and qualified for the Europa League.
Subsequently, they went on to beat Rennes 5-3 on aggregate in the play-offs before beating Slavia Prague 7-3 on aggregate in the last-16 and losing 3-1 to Roma overall in the quarter-finals.
CITY+
Subject to rights restrictions in certain countries and regions, CITY+ subscribers will be able to watch the matches on our pre-season tour of the US right here on mancity.com and our official app.
CITY+ is available via an annual subscription of £34.99 a year, saving you £24 on our monthly offering.
Choose monthly and pay £4.99 a month with the option to cancel anytime.
Official Cityzens and Season Ticket Members can subscribe annually for £30 a year, a saving of £29.
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