The excitement is building as European football moves closer to the start of the Champions League, with the draw for the group stages taking place on 31 August 2023. Clubs will play their first matches on 19/ / 20 September and the competition enters the knockout stages on 13 / 14 / 20 / 21 February. Tho two teams that battle their way successfully to the final will meet on 1 June 2024 at Wembley, London, in the UK.

One of the teams looking to set foot on the Wembley turf that day is AC Milan, who are no strangers to glory in European football tournaments. The giants from the northern Italian city are the country’s most successful in the Champions League, having won the competition seven times. Below is a look at their prospects of lifting the trophy an eighth time when the 2023/24 tournament begins.

How the sportsbooks see it

Despite AC Milans past winning prowess in the competition, the sportsbooks are pessimistic about the Rossoneri’s prospects of laying their hands on the Champions League trophy. The Champions League betting has AC Milan at around 40/1, suggesting they’re huge outsiders.

British team Manchester City are the favourites to win at 24/10, followed by Bayern Munich at 5/1. The Champions League is full of big hitters, including Manchester United, Barcelona, Real Madrid and Paris St Germain, which makes the road to championship glory exceptionally tough for a team who has struggled in the competition this century. The last time AC won the Champions League was in the 2006/07 season when they beat Liverpool 2-1. Since then, they’ve not made it past the quarter finals until the 2022/23 season. They were even missing from the competition for seven seasons (2014/15 to 2020/21).

Couple their competition record with their Serie A record and you might not feel your money looks good with them. Last season, the team finished just outside of the top three. This season, they’re already sitting in sixth position. Neither this nor the fact that the team were on the wrong end of defeats by Barcelona and Real Madrid this summer, teams who they may end up facing in the Champions League, will have given sportsbooks confidence.

But how could things pan out? Here are some possible outcomes for AC Milan’s Champions League future.

The club lift the title

The draw is still to be made, but no matter who the Rossoneri face, they’re going to have a tough job on their hands. The fact that it’s been more than a decade since the club tasted glory in the competition means players will be running around on the pitch with a serious hunger for the silverware.

Like other teams this summer, AC Milan have been busy on the transfer market. One new signing who is already looking like he could pay dividends is winger Christian Pulisic. The club signed the American from Chelsea. In his debut for the club, he has already scored. He’s also linking up well with Olivier Giroud, who scored the opener for the side against Bologna. This is a partnership that could truly blossom in the course of the season.

AC Milan face Inter Milan

No team likes to lose a game, but losing to a derby rival in the Champions League semi-final has to be one of the most gut-wrenching. Last season, Inter Milan defeated the Rossoneri 2-0 in the first leg, then, at San Siro, finished the job with a 1-0 win that took them to 3-0 on aggregate. AC could end up facing their arch rivals again and avenging the defeat.

Oliver Giroud finds his form

Much has been made of Olivier Giroud’s lack of goal-scoring prowess, but that doesn’t mean he’s not effective. He creates space in the box and is intelligent and very physical. He also assists in lots of goals. His link up play with Christian Pulisic and the fact he scored in the very first game of the Serie A season is promising. Fans will be hoping Giroud finds the net more in time for the Champions League clashes.

AC Milan go out in the group stages

Unpleasant but possible. Some very stiff competition has already qualified for the competition and, as mentioned, two of these teams have already beaten AC Milan in friendly matches this summer. The Rossoneri will have to be sharp to get to Wembley in June 2024.

The Serie A is under way and it won’t be long before UEFA draws the teams for the first matches of the Champions League. AC Milan are hungry to lift a European trophy, but their track record in the competition has been poor in the 21st century. That doesn’t mean it can never happen. Hopefully, the new signings will give the team the boost it needs to conquer Europe this season.