Leeds United are due to play the Serie A giants in August.
AC Milan have confirmed they will face Premier League outfit Chelsea at Stamford Bridge this summer - just 24 hours after their pre-season meeting with Leeds United.
Leeds are due to face the Italian giants at the 51,700-capacity Aviva Stadium in Dublin on Saturday, August 9, with kick-off at 3pm. A huge number of Whites fans are expected to attend the fixture almost 25 years since the pair last met during the 2000/01 UEFA Champions League group stages.
The Irish capital meeting has already sold well over 40,000 tickets for what is expected to be a high-profile pre-season friendly. But after reports over the weekend of a meeting with Chelsea, Milan have now confirmed they will also be in action on Sunday, August 10, which will no doubt affect their plans for Leeds.
A statement from the Serie A club read: “AC Milan is delighted to announce a pre-season friendly against Chelsea Football Club on Sunday, 10 August at 3:00 PM (BST) at Stamford Bridge, in the heart of London.
“AC Milan’s match against Chelsea FC at Stamford Bridge on 10 August follows their friendly with Leeds United at Dublin’s Aviva Stadium on 9 August. This consecutive weekend of top-level opposition will give coach Allegri’s squad an excellent test before the start of the 2025/26 season.
“Earlier in the summer, the Rossoneri will embark on a comprehensive Asia-Pacific tour as part of their Pre-Season Tour 2025, facing Arsenal FC in Singapore on 23 July, Liverpool FC in Hong Kong on 26 July, and Perth Glory FC in Perth, Western Australia, on 31 July.”
Will AC Milan vs Chelsea affect Leeds United’s pre-season?
It has become relatively common for teams to have multiple pre-season friendly meetings in close proximity to each other, but it does usually mean one line-up is weakened. Milan’s domestic campaign kicks off a week after their meeting with Leeds and so would have been expected to go full strength, albeit a fixture against Champions League outfit Chelsea could change things.
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As things stand, Leeds will have a full week to prepare for their game against AC Milan, which is their final pre-season friendly before the 2025/26 Premier League kicks off on the weekend of Saturday, August 16. Daniel Farke’s side host Spanish opposition at Elland Road for the second time in as many years the weekend before heading to Dublin, with Villarreal this summer’s visitors.
Leeds’ pre-season kicks off next month and on July 19, they are due to face future Premier League rivals Manchester United at the Strawberry Arena in Stockholm, Sweden. As happened last summer, Farke and his squad are also expected to return to Germany for a training camp.
The Whites will find out who they face a week after AC Milan in Dublin on Wednesday morning, with the full 2025/26 Premier League fixture schedule due to be released at 9am. Fans will no doubt be hoping for a high profile fixture to get their top-flight season going.
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