Arne Slot will lead Liverpool in his first UEFA Champions League match as manager when they face Milan away. Despite being the favorites, how much will their recent loss to Nottingham Forest impact their performance?
Milan vs Liverpool: Match Preview
Liverpool face Milan in their opening Champions League fixture of the season, marking Arne Slot’s European debut as the Reds’ manager.
Both teams experienced contrasting outcomes over the weekend. Liverpool’s impressive start to the campaign came to a surprising halt with a home defeat to Nottingham Forest. Despite being strong pre-match favourites, Slot’s side was expected to maintain their winning momentum under new leadership.
However, Forest stunned Liverpool with their first away top-flight victory at Anfield since February 1969, breaking a 25-game winless streak in league competition at the iconic stadium.
Meanwhile, Milan gained momentum with a commanding 4-0 win over newly promoted Venezia. Scoring four goals in the opening half-hour, Milan eased the pressure on Paulo Fonseca, securing his first win as their manager after three attempts.
Slot now shifts his focus to Europe as Liverpool return to the Champions League after spending a year in the Europa League. Last season, they reached the quarter-finals of that competition before being knocked out by eventual winners Atalanta.
During the 2023–24 campaign, Slot was managing Feyenoord. Although the Dutch side qualified for the Champions League group stage, they only managed a third-place finish in Group E, losing all three away games to Atlético Madrid, Lazio, and Celtic.
Despite facing a tough set of fixtures, Liverpool will feel confident about their chances here. They have won four of their last five away games against Italian teams in European competitions (L1), all since 2020. Additionally, they completed a double over Milan in the 2021-22 Champions League group stage.
Mohamed Salah has made a blazing start to the Premier League season and excels in European competitions as well. His 41 Champions League goals for Liverpool are the most ever scored by a player for an English club.
Milan are unbeaten in their last four Champions League matches against English opposition (W2 D2), all of which occurred over the past two seasons against Spurs and Newcastle. However, they have never gone five consecutive games without a defeat against English teams in the European Cup/Champions League.
In terms of team news, Milan will be without long-term absentees Ismaël Bennacer, Alessandro Florenzi, and Marco Sportiello, while Malick Thiaw is sidelined with an ankle injury until the end of the month.
Liverpool emerged from their weekend fixture without any new injuries. Harvey Elliott remains the only player unavailable, and while Federico Chiesa is back, he is still working towards full match fitness.
Mian vs Liverpool: Head-to-Head
This will be the fifth encounter between Milan and Liverpool in European competition, with two of their previous meetings taking place in the UEFA Champions League final – Liverpool won on penalties in 2004-05, while Milan claimed a 2-1 victory in 2006-07.
Liverpool have a perfect record at the Giuseppe Meazza in the Champions League, having won all three of their matches at the stadium: 1-0 against Inter in 2008, 2-0 against Inter in 2022, and 2-1 against Milan in 2021. They are the only team to have played there multiple times as visitors while maintaining a 100% win rate.
Milan vs Liverpool: Recent Form
Despite their weekend victory, Milan have yet to fully impress under Fonseca. With just one win from their first four Serie A matches, they currently trail leaders Napoli by four points. While creating chances hasn’t been a problem — Milan leads Serie A in touches inside the opposition box (133), and only Atalanta (7.9) has a higher expected goals (xG) tally than Milan’s 7.6 — their defense has been vulnerable.
Milan has consistently allowed high-quality opportunities for their opponents, facing the league’s highest xG per shot at 0.17. Additionally, their opponents have the highest shot conversion rate in the league at 20.7%, meaning that while they may not concede many shots, the ones they do allow are highly dangerous.
Meanwhile, Liverpool will hope their defeat to Nottingham Forest was just a brief setback. They’ve won three of Slot’s first four matches in charge, and Callum Hudson-Odoi’s weekend strike was the first goal they’ve conceded all season.
Milan vs Liverpool: Team News
Milan
Milan will rely on Alvaro Morata, Rafael Leao, and Christian Pulisic for their Champions League opener against Federico Chiesa’s Liverpool at San Siro.
The Rossoneri will be without several key players due to injury, including Marco Sportiello, Alessandro Florenzi, Ismael Bennacer, and Malick Thiaw, while Luka Jovic has not been named in their UEFA squad.
Davide Calabria has returned to full training and is expected to start at right-back, replacing Emerson Royal.
Fikayo Tomori and Morata, who were rested during Saturday’s 4-0 Serie A victory over Venezia, are both expected to start against Liverpool. Morata, who has made two substitute appearances since joining Milan last summer, will make his first start tonight.
Meanwhile, Tijjani Reijnders and Ruben Loftus-Cheek will alternate roles throughout the match, with one playing as an attacking midfielder while the other drops back into central midfield.
Milan Predicted Lineup
- Goalkeeper: Maignan
- Defenders: Calabria, Tomori, Pavlovic, Theo Hernandez
- Midfielders: Fofana, Reijnders, Loftus-Cheek
- Forwards: Pulisic, Leao, Morata
Liverpool
Liverpool could hand summer signing Federico Chiesa his debut in tonight’s Champions League clash against AC Milan.
Chiesa, who missed Saturday’s home defeat to Nottingham Forest despite training with the team during the international break, has traveled to Italy for the match. Arne Slot confirmed in his pre-match press conference that the 26-year-old could make an appearance off the bench.
“He’s not ready for 90 minutes yet, but hopefully he’ll get some minutes in the upcoming games,” said Slot.
Harvey Elliott remains sidelined with a foot injury, but Slot still has plenty of attacking options to choose from. The Liverpool manager must decide who will partner Mohamed Salah up front after Diogo Jota, Luis Diaz, Darwin Nunez, and Cody Gakpo all struggled to make an impact against Forest.
Nunez and Gakpo, who have had limited playing time this season, may get a starting opportunity at San Siro due to the quick succession of fixtures.
Alexis Mac Allister, who played only 60 minutes against Forest, is fit to start. “I believe he can play 60 or 90 minutes tomorrow, and we’ll see what decision I make,” Slot said on Monday. “He’s one of 22 important players for us.”
Liverpool Predicted Lineup
- Goalkeeper: Alisson
- Defenders: Alexander-Arnold, Konate, Van Dijk, Robertson
- Midfielders: Endo, Gravenberch, Szoboszlai
- Forwards: Salah, Gakpo, Nunez
Milan vs Liverpool: Prediction
Paulo Fonseca has faced challenges in the early part of his time at Milan, despite the recent big win over Venezia, so Liverpool can remain optimistic heading into the match, even after their defeat to Forest.
Prediction: Liverpool to win 2-0.
Where to Watch the Match: Streaming Details and Live Broadcast
The UEFA Champions League 2024-25 match between AC Milan and Liverpool will be broadcast live in India on Sony Sports Network. The match is scheduled to Wednesday, 18 September 2024 at 12:30 AM Indian Standard Time (IST).
Viewers in India can watch the match live from San Siro. Additionally, for those who prefer online streaming, the match will be available for live streaming on the SonyLIV App.
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When is AC Milan vs Liverpool?
AC Milan will face Liverpool at home on Wednesday midnight in 18th September from 12:30 am onwards.
