Liverpool start their Champions League journey on Tuesday evening and a challenging match awaits Arne Slot’s team as they head to the San Siro to take on AC Milan.
The Reds have a difficult schedule in this year’s tournament, with matches against reigning champions Real Madrid and Bundesliga winners Bayer Leverkusen in their first eight games. However, they could have a chance against a Milan team that has only won one match in all competitions this season so far.
Team news
AC Milan will be missing Alessandro Florenzi (ACL), Marco Sportiello (hand), and Ismael Bennacer (ankle), while the fitness of Davide Calabria and Malick Thiaw remains uncertain.
Theo Hernandez, Youssouf Fofana, Christian Pulisic, and Tammy Abraham all scored over the weekend and could be in the lineup for the Rossoneri on Tuesday.
Liverpool manager Arne Slot is expected to have most of his squad available for selection, with the exception of Harvey Elliott who is sidelined with a fractured foot.
New signing Federico Chiesa is still working on his fitness and is unlikely to debut in his home country, so Luis Diaz and Mohamed Salah are set to start on the wings for the Reds.
The stats
Liverpool have won eight of their last ten Champions League away matches.
The Reds have only conceded one goal this season, in a surprising 1-0 defeat at home to Nottingham Forest over the weekend.
Milan have been unbeaten in their last five matches at the San Siro in all competitions.
In each of Milan's four matches this season, both teams have scored at least twice.
In their last visit to AC Milan, Liverpool won 2-1.
The last time the Rossoneri beat Liverpool was in the 2007 Champions League final, with Filippo Inzaghi scoring twice in a 2-1 victory.
Prediction
After a disappointing performance against Forest at home on Saturday, Liverpool will be eager to bounce back and should be confident of snatching all three points at the San Siro on Tuesday.
Liverpool has been formidable in Europe in recent years, winning 15 of their last 21 matches in this competition and only losing to top teams like Real Madrid (twice), Napoli, and Inter Milan, who were either Serie A champions or eventual winners of the league.
Although victory is within reach for Liverpool, it may not come easy. Milan has seen both teams score in three of their last four matches, and in the last two Champions League encounters between these sides, goals were scored by both teams.
While Milan can challenge Liverpool's defense and find the net, the visitors are still expected to clinch the win.