Arne Slot’s Liverpool are heading to Milan for a highly anticipated Champions league clash with AC Milan. These two clubs have some history between them, as they faced each other in the 2005 and 2007 Champions league finale. The Reds’ still sing the songs of the “Miracle in Istanbul”, which is something that will always remain special for the club supporters.
Having won their first three games in the league, Slot’s men suffered a surprise defeat to Nottingham this weekend. This poor performance has raised questions regarding the manager’s decisions on the field. Liverpool will be keen on starting their European campaign on a high in an attempt to win their seventh Champions league title.
On the other hand, Paulo Fonseca’s Milan have made a poor start to their season. They have registered only two wins in their first five fixtures, which is not a good position before facing a club like Liverpool.
The Italian giants would be low on confidence, but will heavily rely on their home advantage. San Siro’s crowd provides a radiant energy to the team, boosting their confidence as always. The Rossoneri always manage to create a hostile atmosphere for their opposition.
These two historic clubs met each other recently in the 2021/22 season group stage, when Jurgen Klopp’s Reds’ defeated the Rossoneri in both fixtures.
Reds’ boss is excited about his first UCL game in charge of Liverpool. Speaking to the club’s press, he says;
“It’s a big game, also for me, but a big game for us. Because of the history these two teams have, the venue it is played in, it is one to look forward to.”
Liverpool and Milan team news: Predicted Lineups
Liverpool boss Arne Slot will make some changes in the lineup for this game. The Reds’ were given a reality check last weekend by Nottingham Forrest which has forced the manager to change a few players.
There are no injury concerns in the club as of now, but the Liverpool boss may start Darwin Nunez or Coady Gakpo to improve the attacking prowess. Slot emphasized on the importance of having Dominic Szoboszlai in his midfield. He says;
“He has been important for us and his pressing has been outstanding. Something we have to work on is making him even more involved in scoring goals.”
Liverpool predicted lineup: Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Konate, Van Dijk, Robertson; Mac Allister, Gravenberch; Salah, Jones, Diaz; Nunez.
Milan on the other hand would like to match the performance level they put up last weekend against Venezia. However, they will miss midfielder Ismael Bennacer which is a massive blow. Marco Sportiello and Alessandro Florenzi have also been left out from the squad due to injury.
Malick Thiaw is doubtful to start as he is not fully match fit.
Milan predicted lineup vs Liverpool: Maignan; Royal, Tomori, Pavlovic, Hernandez; Fofana, Reijnders; Pulisic, Loftus-Cheek, Leao; Abraham.
What to expect from this highly anticipated clash between the two European giants?
Whenever Milan and Liverpool face each other, a highly entertaining contest is assured. We can expect a high goal-scoring thriller this game.
The Rossoneri have made a rough and shaky start to their season, but their 4-0 thumping of Venezia will give them some much needed confidence. Fonseca will heavily rely on former Chelsea players Tammy Abraham, Loftus-Cheek and Tomori for this game. Rafael Leao’s pace and skill is always a threat from the wing.
The Reds’ have displayed quick counter attacking football against Man United, but they have made it difficult to break low-block defences. They succumbed against Nottingham by 1-0. Milan will try to defend deep and hit back on the break, as they have more pace in their attack.
Despite of the home advantage, it is felt that Liverpool are slight favourites in this contest, as they have experienced players. Milan is a much younger team which is in it’s transition period.
Kick-off Time: 15:00 ET and 12:30 A.M IST
Location: Milan, Italy
UEFA Champions league streaming on: Amazon Prime Video in the U.K and Sony Liv in India
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