AC Milan made it to the quarter-finals of the Europa League (C3) last year after finishing 3rd in their Champions League (C1) group.
However, they are back in the Champions League this season, thanks to securing 2nd place in Serie A, finishing behind Inter but ahead of strong teams like Juventus and AS Roma.
Despite a promising pre-season, where they secured wins against teams like Manchester City, Real Madrid, and Barcelona, Milan has struggled in Serie A so far. They are winless, with draws against Torino (2-2) and Lazio (2-2), and a loss to Parma (2-1), leaving them in 14th place, far from their usual form.
Liverpool missed out on Champions League football last season, a rarity for the club.
Despite many injuries throughout the campaign, Jurgen Klopp’s side managed a 3rd place finish in the Premier League, securing their return to Europe’s top competition. Last season, they were knocked out of the Europa League quarter-finals by Atalanta.
With Klopp departing, it is now up to new manager Arne Slot to lead Liverpool through the Champions League. So far, Slot has made an impressive start, guiding Liverpool to victories in their first three Premier League games against Ipswich (2-0), Brentford (2-0), and Manchester United (3-0).
On Milan’s side, key players like Morata, Florenzi, Sportiello, and Thiaw were unavailable for their recent matches. However, Bennacer and Jovic, who missed the last game before the international break, played for their national teams and should be fit.
Milan’s core players from last season remain, including Maignan in goal, Hernandez and Tomori in defense, Reijnders and Loftus-Cheek in midfield, and wingers Leao and Pulisic.
Jovic and Okafor have been leading the attack while waiting for Morata’s arrival. Milan also welcomed notable signings, including Fofana, Emerson Royal from Spurs, and Pavlovic from RB Salzburg, with Pavlovic being the only one to secure a spot in the starting 11.
Liverpool, on the other hand, didn’t spend extravagantly in the transfer market. However, they brought in Chiesa for €12 million and secured Georgian goalkeeper Mamardashvili for the future, though he remains on loan at Valencia. Liverpool also saw some young talents leave, with Van den Berg and Carvalho going to Brentford and Bobby Clark to Salzburg.
Youngsters Doak and Bajcetic were loaned out. The biggest change was Arne Slot replacing Klopp. Slot has retained key players like Van Dijk, Alisson, Alexander-Arnold, Mac Allister, and Robertson in the starting lineup. Midfielders Gravenberch and Szoboszlai have also been given significant roles.
The standout players at the start of the season are wingers Salah (3 goals, 3 assists), Diaz (3 goals, 1 assist), and Diogo Jota (1 goal, 1 assist). Chiesa could make the squad, but Jones is still injured and expected to be the only absentee.
Prediction
AC Milan’s recent Champions League matches have been far from quiet, with both teams scoring in nine of their last ten games.
Liverpool’s away fixtures in the competition have followed a similar pattern, with 15 of their last 18 road games seeing both teams on target. Therefore, a high-scoring game is expected when these two sides meet.
Prediction: Milan 1-3 Liverpool
