Celtic confirm glamour pre-season friendly as European giants to visit Parkhead

The Scottish champions will host Serie A giants AC Milan on Saturday, July 25, at 3pm in a final preparation for the new William Hill Premiership campaign, which kicks off in earnest the following weekend.

The pre-season clash will mark the first visit of the Italians to Celtic Park since the Europa League match on October 22, 2020, which Milan won 3-1 with goals from Rade Krunic, Brahim Diaz and Jens Petter Hauge ensuring Mohamed Elyounoussi's reply for the hosts was a mere consolation.

The clubs are familiar Champions League opponents having met eight times in 10 years in Europe’s biggest club competition between 2004 and 2014. The most memorable of those occasions for Hoops fans is the famous 2007 clash, when Scott McDonald’s last-minute goal sealed a 2-1 victory over the reigning European champions at the time.

Milan are one of Europe's most successful clubs with seven Champions League titles to their name but the Rossoneri are enduring a drought of major silverware, winning only one Serie A crown in the last 15 years.

Following a disastrous 2025-26 campaign that saw them finish fifth - missing out on Champions League qualification - the club underwent a massive clear-out, sacking their CEO, sporting director, and head coach Massimiliano Allegri.

Celtic, meanwhile, are set to confirm the return of Martin O'Neill as head coach on a permanent basis after the 74-year-old guided the club to a league and Scottish Cup double last season following two separate interim spells in charge.

While the friendly will likely be Celtic's final warm-up match ahead of the new season, with a trip to Dublin in the pipeline for earlier in July, Milan will still be in the early stages of their pre-season when they visit Glasgow ahead of a tour of Australia and Indonesia with the new Serie A campaign not beginning until August 23.