Milan will open pre-season against Celtic in Glasgow on July 29, the first of four friendlies that also take in Inter, Chelsea and Manchester United before the season begins.
Pre-season opponents matter more than they used to for this squad. Ruben Amorim is still bedding in his system, the summer business isn't finished, and a group with several World Cup absentees needs games that build fitness without exposing a half-formed side too early. Get the calibre of opposition right and you arrive at the opener sharp. Get it wrong and you either coast through soft friendlies or get taken apart before the ideas have settled. On paper, the four games Milan have lined up strike a sensible balance.
The players returned to Milanello on July 13, and the early signs are positive. An unofficial friendly against Milan Futuro this week ended 7-0 to the first team, with plenty of minutes spread around the squad.
Celtic first, in Glasgow, is the right way to ease in. It's a tough venue but the lightest opponent of the four, and Martin O'Neill staying on after the title win over Hearts gives the Scottish side a continuity Amorim simply doesn't have yet. Celtic also start their competitive season on August 3, so they'll be further along in their preparation. That should offset the gap in quality, especially with Milan missing their World Cup contingent, Goncalo Ramos, Rafael Leao, Christian Pulisic and Adrien Rabiot among them, while Celtic are without the likes of Nygren and Maeda.
The Inter friendly on August 5 comes in Perth, Australia, a clear commercial play to grow both clubs' presence in the market. Derbies in July don't carry the same weight for supporters, but they tend to heat up regardless. Christian Chivu is still in charge of a largely unchanged Inter, with Denzel Dumfries' move to Real Madrid the only major departure. Crucially for the balance of the tie, Marcus Thuram and Lautaro Martinez won't feature, while Milan should have Ramos back by then. That tilts things Milan's way, even if a summer derby is more shop window than genuine test.
Chelsea in Jakarta on August 8 is the pick of the four for me. It lands only three days after the derby, so Amorim will likely rotate heavily with the travel to Indonesia factored in, which isn't ideal. But as a footballing exercise it's ideal, because Chelsea are in the same boat as Milan. They sacked Liam Rosenior in April and appointed Xabi Alonso this summer, so two managers in transition, two squads still learning new systems. Enzo Fernandez, Reece James and Malo Gusto are set to miss it, and Morgan Rogers, closing on a move worth over £100m, likely won't be involved either.
The tour closes against Manchester United in Wroclaw on August 15. Michael Carrick has been confirmed permanently after impressing as caretaker, though the long-term direction at Old Trafford is still an open question. United lost a friendly to Wrexham by a single goal, but first pre-season outings tell you very little. Youri Tielemans, one of their bigger summer arrivals, should play, with Lisandro Martinez, Marcus Rashford and Kobbie Mainoo on extended breaks after the World Cup. Milan's own late returnees Rabiot and Mike Maignan are back on August 12, so a place on the bench is realistic for them here.
Add it up and it's a well-graded run: a softer opener, a domestic derby, a side in transition, and a genuinely strong finisher. Whether Amorim's Milan are any closer to a settled XI by mid-August is the thing worth watching, because the games only tell you so much when half the squad is still trickling back from international duty.