Celtic FC and AC Milan, two esteemed European football clubs, are poised to face off in front of 60,000 fans at Celtic Park.
Founded towards the end of the 19th century with a noble mission to alleviate poverty within Glasgow's immigrant community, Celtic FC is a club with a rich history and great traditions. It has since evolved into a Scottish football powerhouse, celebrated for its remarkable domestic achievements. Celtic’s influence transcends Scotland, highlighted by their historic European Cup triumph in 1967, where they came from behind to beat Inter Milan in the final.
While Celtic continues to regularly participate in the UEFA Champions League, their European journeys of recent years often end in the group stages. Their best recent campaign came during the 2012/13 season when they stunned the footballing world with a remarkable 2-1 victory over FC Barcelona at Celtic Park. They successfully qualified for the knockout stages, but were thrashed by Juventus in the round of 16.
AC Milan is another iconic club known for its domestic and European success. The Rossoneri boasts numerous Serie A titles and is the most decorated Italian team in European competitions. They’ve won seven UEFA Champions League trophies, most recently beating Liverpool 2-1 in the 2007 final. Only Real Madrid have won more Champions League titles than AC Milan.
In recent years, AC Milan has failed to dominate Italian and European football like they once did. Yet, they reached the Champions League semi-finals in the 2022/23 season for the first time since their 2006/07 victory.
Celtic FC vs AC Milan Head to Head
Celtic and AC Milan are familiar opponents in European football. They’ve met on 12 occasions, and Celtic have won only once. The Bhoys only victory came in the 2007/08 Champions League group stage, beating the holders 2-1 in a special night at Celtic Park.
The two teams previously met in the 2006/07 Champions League last 16. The eventual winners needed a superb Kaka goal in extra time to eliminate an unlucky Celtic side.
Celtic and AC Milan first faced off in the 1968/69 European Cup quarter-finals. The Scottish giants secured a 0-0 draw at the San Siro in the first leg, but succumbed to a disappointing 1-0 defeat at Parkhead. AC Milan went on to win the European Cup for the second time in their history.
Celtic FC vs AC Milan Connections
Italian midfielder Massimo Donati spent six years as an AC Milan player but only made 17 Serie A appearances for the club, while being sent out on loan to five different clubs. He joined Celtic from Milan in a €2m deal in 2007, spending two years in Glasgow before returning to Italy.
Eleven years earlier, enigmatic Italian forward Paolo Di Canio also swapped the black and red of Milan for the green and white of Celtic. He spent two years in Milan, but struggled to break into the star-studded XI. Di Canio spent one successful year at Celtic before a contract dispute led to a transfer to Sheffield Wednesday.
In more recent times, Uruguayan international Diego Laxalt spent the 2020/21 season on loan at Celtic from AC Milan.
