After defeating AC Milan 3-0 last week at Stamford Bridge, Chelsea moved into second place in Group E, tied on points with Milan in third place, with Red Bull Salzburg taking the top spot. Milan were far from their best at Stamford Bridge last week, with the Serie A outfit struggling to get going for most of the contest. It proved to be a routine win for Chelsea, with Pierre Emerick Aubameyang, Recce James, and Wesley Fofana on the scoresheet. Stefano Pioli's side opened their Group E campaign with a 1-1 draw against Salzburg on September 6 before recording a 3-1 victory over Dinamo Zagreb in their second match.
 

They dropped to third after the loss at Chelsea, but the group is still quite close at this point, with Dinamo Zagreb in fourth and Salzburg at the top separated by just two points. Milan have not progressed to the knockout round of the Champions League since 2013-14, but they have won this competition on seven occasions, which makes them the second-most successful team in the history of the tournament behind Real Madrid, who lifted their 14th trophy last term. 

Milan hasn't advanced past the group stage of the Champions League since 2013–14, but they have won this competition seven times, making them the tournament's second-most successful side behind Real Madrid, which won its 14th trophy last season. The Red and Blacks enter this game after defeating Juventus in Serie A on Saturday night. Fikayo Tomori and Brahim Diaz scored against the dismal Old Lady, and the result has put the Red and Blacks in fourth place in the standings, one point behind Atalanta BC. Chelsea was in a precarious position in the group going into last week's match with Milan, but the win has moved them up to second, and they will feel confident about moving on to the knockout stage from this spot.

The Blues suffered a 1-0 defeat to Dinamo Zagreb in their competition opener on September 6 before playing out a 1-1 draw with Salzburg ahead of their three-goal success over Milan. After defeating Wolverhampton Wanderers 3-0 in the Premier League on Saturday at Stamford Bridge, Graham Potter's team has now won three straight games in all competitions. The goals came from Kai Havertz, Christian Pulisic, and Armando Broja. Since Potter took over as head coach in place of the wildly successful Thomas Tuchel, Chelsea are currently fourth in the standings and appear to be moving in the right direction. Chelsea defeated Manchester City to win the Champions League in 2020–21, however, after losing to Real Madrid in the competition's quarterfinals the previous year, they are not now thought of as one of the favorites to win the trophy at the conclusion of the year.