AC Milan and Liverpool are set to renew their Champions League rivalry on Tuesday night as they kick off their campaigns in the new league phase at San Siro. The great Italian and English giants clashed during the first match week of this elite competition.
AC Milan vs. Liverpool: Preview
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This will be the first competitive encounter between these two teams. Both clubs are entering the Champions League under new management, with Arne Slot now at the helm for Liverpool and Paulo Fonseca in charge of Milan.
Each manager will be eager to rectify recent shortcomings. Jurgen Klopp, who has since handed over the reins to Slot, managed to secure a Champions League spot for Liverpool despite finishing third in the Premier League, rather than winning the Europa League as many had anticipated.
AC Milan vs. Liverpool: Match Details
Match: Liverpool @ AC Milan
Date & Time: Sep 17, 2024 at 8 pm UK
Stadium: Stadio Giuseppe Meazza
Team News, Stats & Head-to-Head
Liverpool
Liverpool’s group stage will feature high-profile matches against Real Madrid and Bayer Leverkusen, along with games against Bologna, RB Leipzig, Girona, Lille, and PSV Eindhoven. The new format includes a league phase where the top eight teams will advance directly, while those ranked ninth to 24th will enter playoffs, and teams finishing 25th to 36th will be eliminated.
Liverpool travels to San Siro with a solid track record, having won four of their last five away games against Italian sides in European competition. However, they were notably defeated by Atalanta in last season’s Europa League quarter-finals. They were underwhelming in their recent Premier League match, losing 1-0 to Nottingham Forest due to a standout goal from Callum Hudson-Odoi.
Liverpool’s new signing Federico Chiesa may feature but is unlikely to start, and Harvey Elliott is sidelined with a foot injury. Slot might consider rotating his squad, with Cody Gakpo and Darwin Nunez potentially getting starting roles.
AC Milan
AC Milan, meanwhile, has had a shaky start under Fonseca, winning only once in their first four Serie A games. However, they bounced back with a convincing 4-0 victory over Venezia. Fonseca, who is the second Portuguese manager to lead an Italian club in the Champions League after José Mourinho, will be keen to make a strong impression.
Milan’s upcoming fixtures also include matches against Real Madrid, Leverkusen, Girona, Club Brugge, Dinamo Zagreb, Slovan Bratislava, and Red Star Belgrade. The Rossoneri will be hoping to exact revenge for their past encounters with Liverpool, including the 2021-22 group-stage losses.
For Milan, Ismael Bennacer, Alessandro Florenzi, and Marco Sportiello are out with injuries, though Sportiello would not have challenged Mike Maignan’s place. Malick Thiaw is also doubtful with an ankle sprain, but Davide Calabria is fit after missing the Venezia match.
Possible Starting XI
AC Milan: Maignan; Emerson, Tomori, Pavlovic, Hernandez; Reijnders, Fofana, Loftus-Cheek; Pulisic, Abraham, Leao
Liverpool: Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Konate, Van Dijk, Robertson; Endo, Gravenberch; Salah, Szoboszlai, Gakpo; Nunez
AC Milan vs. Liverpool: Prediction
This match promises to be an interesting one to watch. Liverpool is expected to come out as a winner and take all the points. We can not underestimate Milan as they look in great shape and also have a lot of quality players.
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