AC Milan and Liverpool are set to rekindle their Champions League rivalry on Tuesday night at San Siro, marking the start of their latest European campaigns under new management.
Both teams are entering this season with fresh faces at the helm. Liverpool’s Arne Slot, who took over from Jurgen Klopp, will look to build on Klopp's legacy of returning Champions League football to Anfield. Though Klopp led Liverpool to a third-place Premier League finish, it fell short of the Europa League title many had hoped for.
Liverpool’s group stage will feature high-profile matches, including home games against reigning champions Real Madrid and Xabi Alonso's Bayer Leverkusen. They’ll also face Bologna, RB Leipzig, Girona, Lille, and PSV Eindhoven in a challenging quest to advance to the knockout stages. The top eight teams from the 36-club league phase will move on, while those finishing 25th to 36th will be eliminated from European competition.
Liverpool arrives at San Siro with a strong recent record in Italy, having won four of their last five European away games. However, they suffered a setback over the weekend, losing 1-0 to Nottingham Forest due to a standout goal by Callum Hudson-Odoi. This defeat followed a perfect start to the Premier League season, where Liverpool won their first three games without conceding.
On the other side, AC Milan, led by Paulo Fonseca, had a rocky start to the Serie A season but turned things around with a convincing 4-0 win against Venezia. Fonseca, who joined Milan from Lille and Roma, is looking to make a significant impact in the Champions League, following in the footsteps of José Mourinho, the only other Portuguese manager to lead an Italian club in the competition.
Milan’s Champions League campaign will also see them face Real Madrid, Leverkusen, and Girona, along with Club Brugge, Dinamo Zagreb, Slovan Bratislava, and Red Star Belgrade. Fans are eager for a strong start, especially as Milan seeks revenge for past encounters with Liverpool, including the memorable 2005 final and group-stage losses in the 2021-22 season.
INJURIES & SUSPENSION
Despite having a few training sessions with Liverpool before their recent match against Nottingham Forest, Federico Chiesa was not included in the squad. Manager Arne Slot is taking a cautious approach with Chiesa’s fitness.
While a debut for the Italian forward in his home country isn’t completely off the table, he remains uncertain for Liverpool’s trip to Milan. Harvey Elliott, however, is definitely sidelined due to a foot fracture.
On Saturday, neither Cody Gakpo nor Darwin Nunez made a significant impact after coming off the bench, but with just over 72 hours between matches, Slot might shake up his starting lineup by giving these attacking players a chance to start.
For AC Milan, coach Paulo Fonseca will be without Ismael Bennacer (ankle), Alessandro Florenzi (ACL), and Marco Sportiello (ligament injury) for their Champions League opener.
Although Sportiello wouldn’t have been in goal ahead of Mike Maignan, his absence is notable. German defender Malick Thiaw is also struggling with an ankle sprain, making his availability for midweek slim, while Davide Calabria’s participation is uncertain after missing the Venezia game due to a leg injury.
Unless there are unexpected injuries, Fonseca is likely to stick with the winning lineup from the weekend, with Tammy Abraham holding off new signing Alvaro Morata, alongside former Chelsea teammates Christian Pulisic and Ruben Loftus-Cheek in the starting eleven.
POSSIBLE LINE-UPS
AC Milan possible starting lineup:
Maignan; Emerson, Gabbia, Pavlovic, Hernandez; Reijnders, Fofana, Loftus-Cheek; Pulisic, Abraham, Leao
Liverpool possible starting lineup:
Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Konate, Van Dijk, Robertson; Endo, Gravenberch; Salah, Szoboszlai, Gakpo; Nunez
EXPERT PREDICTIONS
AC Milan 2-2 Liverpool
Milan clearly made the most of their two-week break, showing a stronger performance in their domestic games compared to Liverpool. The Rossoneri have also been impressive in their recent Champions League encounters with English teams, remaining unbeaten in their last four matches against Premier League sides.
The hosts have never gone five consecutive games in the Champions League without a loss to an English team, but we believe this could be the moment they achieve that milestone. Liverpool, on the other hand, may struggle to find the back of the net, given their recent issues with finishing chances. Any changes to their attack might not be enough to overcome Milan's solid defense.
