After a poor start to the season, AC Milan restarted the season with a win against Venezia. However, things are not plain sailing, with a massive game against Liverpool in the Champions League up next. It’s Paulo Fonseca’s biggest test yet, and he must get things spot on against the Reds.
It is a fixture that is not unfamiliar on the big stage, even if it has only been played in the Champions League four times. Unfortunately for Milan, they have been on the wrong side 2* times (technically, there have been three losses but it only counts as two due to the draw in Istanbul). There are positive memories, though, from the final in 2007 in Athens.
In the past two meetings, the Rossoneri have lost by a single goal, losing 3-2 and 2-1 in the 2021/22 Group Stage.
Our pre-match preview has the latest team news, some opposition insight, and more. Below, the key stats for this fixture can be found ahead of tonight’s clash at San Siro.
➤ This will be the fifth meeting between Milan and Liverpool in European competition, with half of their previous clashes coming in the UEFA Champions League final (2/4) – 2004-05 (won by Liverpool on penalties) and 2006-07 (won 2-1 by Milan).
➤ Liverpool have won all three of their UEFA Champions League games at the Giuseppe Meazza stadium, winning 1-0 in 2008 and 2-0 in 2022 against Internazionale, and 2-1 against Milan in 2021. The Reds are the only team to play there more than once as a visiting side in the competition while maintaining a 100% record.
➤ Liverpool have won four of their last five away games against Italian sides in European competition (L1), with all five of those coming since 2020. Prior to this, the Reds had only won three of their first 14 such matches away to Italian opposition (D3 L8).
➤ Milan are unbeaten in their last four games against English sides in the UEFA Champions League (W2 D2), with each of those coming across the previous two seasons (v Spurs and Newcastle). They’ve never previously managed to avoid defeat in five consecutive games against English opponents in the European Cup/UEFA Champions League.
➤ In taking charge of Milan, Paulo Fonseca will be just the second Portuguese to manage an Italian club in the UEFA Champions League, after José Mourinho with Internazionale (2008-2010).
➤ Liverpool manager Arne Slot has lost all three of his away games in the UEFA Champions League, with each of those coming in the group stage with Feyenoord last season (2-3 v Atlético Madrid, 0-1 v Lazio and 1-2 v Celtic). Despite that, Slot’s Feyenoord had the second-best shot differential away from home in last season’s group stage (+19 – 48 for, 29 against), while only Man City (24) faced fewer shots on the road.
➤ Milan striker Álvaro Morata was the joint-top scorer in the UEFA Champions League group stage last season, netting five goals in six appearances. Only once in his career has he netted more than five goals in a single campaign in the competition (six for Juventus in 2020-21).
➤ Mohamed Salah has scored 41 goals for Liverpool in the UEFA Champions League; the most ever by a player for an English club in the competition. Since his first season at the club in 2017-18, only Robert Lewandowski (54) and Kylian Mbappé (42) have outscored Salah (41) in the UEFA Champions League.
➤ Across the last two editions of the UEFA Champions League (2022-23 and 2023-24), only Vinícius Júnior (84) and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia (64) have completed more dribbles than Milan’s Rafael Leão (57).
➤ Trent Alexander-Arnold has assisted 10 goals for Liverpool in the UEFA Champions League (52 games); already the second-most ever by an English defender, only behind Ashley Cole (12 assists in 108 games).
