AC Milan vs Club Brugge facts

AC Milan are bidding to revive their UEFA Champions League campaign as they welcome Club Brugge to San Siro searching for their first points of the league phase.

The seven-time European champions are one of eight sides to have lost their first two games, going down 1-3 at home to Liverpool and 1-0 at Bayer Leverkusen. Club Brugge kicked off with a 0-3 home loss to Borussia Dortmund but bounced back with a 1-0 victory at Sturm Graz.

Previous meetings

Matches 6
Milan wins 3
Club Brugge wins 2
Draws 1
Milan goals 4
Club Brugge goals 4

2003/04 Champions League group stage
Milan 0-1 Club Brugge
Club Brugge 0-1 Milan
Andrés Mendoza's strike gave the Belgian side victory against the holders at San Siro before Kaká's first Champions League goal turned the tables in Bruges two weeks later.

1990/91 European Cup second round
Milan 0-0 Club Brugge
Club Brugge 0-1 Milan
Angelo Carbone's second-leg goal at the Jan Breydelstadion took the holders through, although Milan had to hold on with ten men after Marco van Basten's 83rd-minute red card.

1975/76 UEFA Cup quarter-finals
Club Brugge 2-0 Milan
Milan 2-1 Club Brugge
First-leg goals from Ulrik le Fevre and Eduard Krieger put Club Brugge in control and, though Alberto Bigon and Luciano Chiarugi brought Milan level in the return, Dirk Sanders struck the decisive blow.

Form guide

Milan

Record vs Belgian clubs: W9 D9 L3 F23 A12
Home record vs Belgian clubs: W5 D4 L2

Milan last faced Belgian opponents in the 2012/13 group stage, drawing 0-0 at home to Anderlecht before a 3-1 away win.

That made it four wins in five games (D1) against teams for Belgium, that 2003 defeat at home to Club Brugge the only reverse in their last 12 (W6 D5).

However, a 4-1 defeat of Anderlecht in the 2006/07 group stage is Milan's only win in five home games against Belgian visitors (D3 L1).

The Rossoneri are making their fourth successive appearance in the Champions League and a 21st overall, three behind Juventus's Italian record of 24.

Milan were Champions League winners in 1994, 2003 and 2007 and runners-up in 1993, 1995 and 2005.

In 2022/23 Milan reached the knockout rounds for the first time since 2013/14 but were unable to repeat the feat last season, finishing third behind Borussia Dortmund and Paris Saint-Germain in Group F. They went on to reach the UEFA Europa League quarter-finals, where they lost an all-Italian tie to Roma.

Milan have won only nine of their last 32 Champions League games (D9 L14). A 2-1 win against Paris on Matchday 4 in 2023/24 is one of only seven in their last 22 home fixtures, Matchday 1 to final (D7 L8).

Milan were second in Serie A in 2023/24, 19 points behind champions Inter. It was the third time in four seasons they had finished in the top two.

Pioli was replaced in the summer after five years as Milan coach, Paulo Fonseca appointed as his successor.

Club Brugge

Record vs Italian clubs: W5 D6 L11 F17 A25
Away record vs Italian clubs: W2 D3 L6

The Belgian side's 2023/24 European campaign was ended by Italian opponents, Fiorentina winning 4-3 on aggregate in the UEFA Europa Conference League semi-finals (2-3 a, 1-1 h).

That made it 13 matches without a win against Italian opponents (D5 L8), since Club Brugge's 2003 victory in Milan.

Having won 1-0 at Roma on their first visit to Italy, in the 1975/76 UEFA Cup third round, the victory at Milan is Club Brugge's only success in their subsequent ten games away to Serie A sides (D3 L6).

This is Club Brugge's 11th campaign in the Champions League proper – one short of Anderlecht's Belgian record.

The most recent came in 2022/23, the Belgian side claiming 11 points to finish second in Group B behind Porto and reach the knockout stages for the first time. Benfica proved too strong in the round of 16, however, winning 2-0 in Bruges and 5-1 in Lisbon.

Club Brugge have lost only five of their last 16 away matches in the Champions League proper (W5 D6).

European Cup runners-up to Liverpool in 1978, Club Brugge spent 2023/24 in the Europa Conference League, eventually reaching the last four before losing to Fiorentina.

Club Brugge have won seven of their last ten away European games (L3).

Champions of Belgium for the 19th time in 2023/24 – their fourth title in five years – Club Brugge appointed Nicky Hayen as their permanent head coach in June. He had succeeded Ronny Deila on a temporary basis in March.

Links and trivia

Has played in Belgium:
Strahinja Pavlović (Cercle Brugge 2021 loan)

Has played in Italy:
Andreas Skov Olsen (Bologna 2019–22)

International team-mates:
Samuel Chukwueze & Raphael Onyedika (Nigeria)
Noah Okafor & Ardon Jashari (Switzerland)

Latest news

Milan

On Saturday an early Samuel Chukwueze goal earned a 1-0 win at home to Udinese, Milan playing for more than an hour with ten men after Tijjani Reijnders' red card.

Milan have only won four of their ten games this season in all competitions, all in Serie A (D2 L4).

Theo Hernández and Tammy Abraham both missed penalties in a 2-1 loss at Fiorentina on 6 October.

Christian Pulišić got Milan's goal, making it five in Serie A this season and six in total.

The Rossoneri have scored 16 goals in their eight Serie A games, conceding nine.

Álvaro Morata scored and missed a penalty in Spain's 3-0 UEFA Nations League win against Serbia on 15 October.

Yunus Musah scored his first international goal – set up by Pulišić – as the United States beat Panama on 12 October.

Matteo Gabbia missed the weekend win with a muscle injury while substitute Tammy Abraham was replaced five minutes after coming on due to a shoulder problem.

Davide Calabria has been out with a thigh injury since Matchday 1 while Ruben Loftus-Cheek came on as a late substitute on Saturday having not played since Matchday 2 with a similar problem.

Ismaël Bennacer has been out since suffering a calf injury on international duty with Algeria in September.

Alessandro Florenzi has not played since suffering a serious knee injury in August.

Club Brugge

On Saturday Club Brugge made it two wins in six games (D2 L2) with a 2-1 victory at Westerlo.

That was the Belgian champions' first win in four league matches (D2 L1), since a 3-0 success at KV Kortrijk on 14 September that was their fourth consecutive victory.

Maxim De Cuyper scored Belgium's first goal in a 2-2 UEFA Nations League draw in Italy on 10 October.

Gustaf Nilsson, whose last appearance came on 27 September, has been sidelined by a calf injury.

Knee surgery has kept Bjorn Meijer out since May.