Chelsea vs. AC Milan: Complete Preview

Date: Sunday Aug. 4

Venue: MetLife Stadium, New Jersey

Kickoff: 11:30 p.m. GMT, 6:30 p.m. ET, 3:30 p.m. PT

It may be preseason, but the fixtures are coming thick and fast for Europe's elite as they prepare for 2013-14, with Chelsea and AC Milan battling for early-season bragging rights at New Jersey's MetLife Stadium on Sunday.

Having been on tour in Asia already this summer, the Blues are back in America competing for their first piece of silverware since Jose Mourinho returned to the club in June.

Sure, the Guinness International Champions Cup will not rank high on Mourinho's list of achievements should his team leave the U.S. victorious, but it will be a good place to start.

They overcame Inter Milan on Aug. 1 with a 2-0 victory and, as they face Milanese opposition once again, a repeat performance will ensure Mourinho's new moniker the "Happy One" will continue to be rolled out for a few more weeks yet.

The form book:

Chelsea remain undefeated in preseason, their one-sided victory over BNI Indonesia All-Stars in late July the pick of the bunch thus far.

That 8-1 victory has set them up well for the weeks ahead as the team builds a head of steam, targeting the big kick-off on Aug.17.

The Serie A season will kick-off a week later this year on Aug. 25, so in theory Milan should be a week or so behind the Blues in terms of fitness and sharpness.

If so, it didn't stop them defeating Valencia 2-1 in their opening game of their U.S. tour, setting up this weekend's clash with the Blues.

Key players are returning after their extended breaks from international duty also, so the Rossoneri will be looking strong ahead of Sunday.

Danger men:

With Juan Mata and Fernando Torres back in training with Chelsea after their busy summer with Spain, both will be looking to make an early impression on new manager Jose Mourinho.

Competition for places at Stamford Bridge is certainly heating up as the new season approaches, with Romelu Lukaku looking every bit the player we saw at West Bromwich Albion last season, while Eden Hazard and Oscar found themselves on the scoresheet against Inter Milan in their last outing.

Robinho and Nigel de Jong grabbed a goal each against Valencia as AC Milan advanced to meet Chelsea in the Guinness International Champions Cup.

Milan certainly have more firepower within their ranks, too, with Stephen El Shaarawy available again having competed with Italy at the Confederations Cup.

Keep an eye out for 18-year-old frontman Andrea Petagna, also. The youngster has been a regular in Italy's youth teams and has been given his fair share of game time this preseason. Can he make an impact?

What next?

The Guinness International Champions Cup has thrown up some mouth-watering prospects for preseason already and the potential outcome of this fixture is no different.

If Chelsea are successful in defeating AC Milan on Sunday and Real Madrid overcome Everton a day earlier, it will mean Jose Mourinho facing his former employers a little sooner than he may have anticipated as both clubs will fight it out in the final.

Of course, should both teams lose, the result will be the same, but they will be competing for third place instead.

Alternatively, if results shape up, they could pit Carlo Ancelotti—recently appointed Mourinho's successor in the Spanish capital—against his former club Milan, while victories for Everton and the Blues will give us an early precursor to what we can expect when the teams face each other for the first time in the 2013-14 Premier League campaign at Goodison Park on Sept. 14.

Whatever the outcome, all four clubs will be racking up the air miles as the final and third-place play-off will be played in a double-header at Miami's Sun Life Stadium on Wednesday Aug. 7.

Real and Everton meet at Dodger Stadium, Los Angeles, on Saturday Aug. 3, while Chelsea and Milan face off at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey a day later.

Potential lineups:

It's preseason and as managers focus their attentions more on building the fitness of their entire squad than winning games, it's an impossible task to predict the starting lineup of any team as they change so frequently.

With this in mind, we've outlined Chelsea and AC Milan's starting XI from their previous outings in the Guinness International Champions Cup against Inter Milan and Valencia, respectively.

Chelsea (vs. Inter Milan): Cech; Ivanovic, Cahill, Terry, Cole; Ramires, Van Ginkel; Moses, Oscar, Hazard; Lukaku

Subs: Schwarzer, Azpilicueta, David Luiz, Bertrand, Mikel, Essien, Mata, Torres, Ba

AC Milan (vs. Valencia): Abbiati; Antonini, Bonera, Mexes, Constant; Nocerino, De Jong, Poli, Robinho; Boateng, Petagna

Subs: Gabriel, Zaccardo, Niang, El Shaarawy, Cristante, Muntari, Emanuelson

Prediction:

Chelsea 3-2 AC Milan

Garry Hayes is Bleacher Report's lead Chelsea correspondent and will be following the club from a London base throughout the 2013-14 season. Follow him on Twitter here @garryhayes