Liverpool travel to Italy for their opening game of the UEFA Champions League campaign against AC Milan on Tuesday.
Liverpool are coming into the game vs AC Milan on the back of a shock 1-0 defeat to Nottingham Forest at home, and they will be desperate to bounce back strongly. The Reds’ fans will be thoroughly disappointed with the performance at the weekend, and they will expect a strong reaction from their team here.
Arne Slot’s men have started the season well with three wins from four league matches, and a victory here will give them a major confidence boost. Liverpool will want to do well in the Champions League this season, and beating teams like AC Milan would be a huge positive
Meanwhile, AC Milan picked up their first league of the campaign at the weekend against Venezia, and they will look to build on that with a strong performance here. The Rossoneri will have seen Nottingham Forest dismantle Liverpool last time out, and they will look to pull off a positive result at home.
Liverpool and AC Milan are two of the most storied rivals in UEFA Champions League history, and they have been a part of some of the most memorable matches in the competition’s history. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.
Team News and Tactics
AC Milan
The home team will have a number of injury problems to deal with. Ismael Bennacer, Malick Thiaw, Alessandro Florenzi, and Marco Sportiello are all sidelined with knocks. AC Milan are likely to shape up in a 4-3-3 formation vs Liverpool, with Mike Maignan in goal.
Emerson Royal and Theo Hernandez will start as the full-backs here, and they will look to contribute at both ends of the pitch. At the heart of the AC Milan defence, Fikayo Tomori will start alongside Strahinja Pavlovic.
As for the midfield unit, Youssouf Fofana will start alongside Tijjani Reijnders, while Ruben Loftus-Cheek. They will look to add defensive cover and physicality to the midfield. Finally, Tammy Abraham will lead the line for the home side, with Christian Pulisic and Rafael Leao on either side of him.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Maignan; Royal, Tomori, Pavlovic, Hernandez; Reijnders, Fofana, Loftus-Cheek; Pulisic, Abraham, Leao
Liverpool
Harvey Elliott is the only absentee for Liverpool here. The Reds are likely to shape up in a 4-2-3-1 formation, with Alisson Becker in goal.
Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andrew Robertson will start as the full-backs. They will look to help out defensively and create chances for the attackers as well. Ibrahima Konate will start in the central defensive pairing alongside club captain Virgil van Dijk.
As for the midfield unit, Alexis Mac Allister will add creativity and control to the side alongside Ryan Gravenberch, who will help out defensively and control the tempo of the game. Dominik Szoboszlai will start in the attacking midfield role, and he will look to create goalscoring opportunities with his passing and vision. Mohamed Salah and Luis Diaz will add pace and flair from the wide areas, with Darwin Nunez leading the line.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Konate, van Dijk, Robertson; Gravenberch, Mac Allister; Salah, Szoboszlai, Diaz; Nunez
Key Stats
- Liverpool have won their last five matches vs AC Milan in all competitions.
- Liverpool have scored at least two goals in their last five matches vs AC Milan in all competitions.
- AC Milan have seen over 2.5 goals in their last three matches vs Liverpool in all competitions.
- 20 goals have been scored in the last six meetings between Liverpool and AC Milan.
- AC Milan have picked up just one one from the last four matches in all competitions.
Player to Watch
Mohamed Salah
The Egyptian international has started the season well, and he will be disappointed with the performance against Nottingham Forest last time out. Salah will look to bounce back with a strong display here.
Liverpool will need him to step up and create goalscoring opportunities for his teammates and find the back of the net as well. Salah is our key player to watch out for, and he could prove to be the difference between the two sides tomorrow.
Prediction
AC Milan 1-1 Liverpool
Although AC Milan have started the season in mediocre form, the win over Venezia at the weekend will have given them immense confidence boost. Meanwhile, Liverpool are coming into this game on the back of a defeat.
This will be a close contest and it will be difficult to separate the two sides. On paper, they are quite evenly matched, and this is likely to be a cracking contest. The two sides are likely to cancel each other out and share the spoils in a draw.