AC Milan will begin their 2024-25 Champions League campaign at San Siro on Tuesday night when they take on a very familiar foe in Liverpool.
Milan finally got their first win of the new campaign on Saturday night as they routed newly-promoted Venezia 4-0 which eased some of the pressure on Paulo Fonseca and the team. However, the next two games – which includes Inter in the derby – are seen as much better indicators of progress.
Fonseca spoke in his pre-match press conference about the need for his side to be perfect given the level of the opponent, but also the great opportunity that exists to make a statement and follow up a good result.
Game date: Tuesday, September 17
Kick-off time: 21:00 (CEST)
Venue: San Siro
Referee: Espen Eskas (VAR: Dankert)
Team news
As mentioned above, it is vital that Milan continue the very positive signs that they showed particularly during the opening 45 minutes against Venezia, and they will be backed by what will no doubt be a fantastic San Siro atmosphere as it always is on European nights.
There is no doubting that Liverpool, Real Madrid and Bayer Leverkusen are the ‘big three’ in terms of the teams that the Rossoneri will face in the ‘league phase’ of the UCL, and they will face each team inside the first four games.
Getting points on the board early will be crucial to ensure there is not too much pressure put on the later games against the likes of Slovan Bratislava, Dinamo Zagreb and Red Star, who are – with respect – much more manageable opponents on paper.
In terms of injury news, the most recent negative development is that Ismael Bennacer will miss the rest of 2024 because he has completely torn his calf, doing so on international duty with Algeria. It is possible that he might even need surgery on it.
Alessandro Florenzi (knee) and Marco Sportiello (hand) are the other two long-term absences who also underwent operations on their respective issues. On a positive note, Alvaro Morata returned against Venezia, coming off the bench after recovering from a muscle issue.
The latest media reports are suggesting that Fonseca will make two changes to the starting line-up that beat Venezia on Saturday, with Fikayo Tomori and Morata the ones coming into the side.
Mike Maignan should keep his place in goal with Emerson Royal and Theo Hernandez the full-backs, then Tomori coming back in to partner Strahinja Pavlovic in the centre-back department.
The midfield three should again be Youssouf Fofana, Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Tijjani Reijnders, but what remains to be seen is who players further forward out of the latter two.
The wingers are almost certain to be Christian Pulisic on the right and Rafael Leao on the left, then Morata leading the line with Abraham dropping to the bench.
Predicted Milan XI (4-2-3-1): Maignan; Emerson, Tomori, Pavlovic, Theo Hernandez; Reijnders, Fofana; Pulisic, Loftus-Cheek, Leao; Morata.
The opponents
We spoke to David Lynch who covers every aspect of Liverpool – now for his own Substack but previously for the official LFC site, the Sunday Mirror, Evening Standard and Goal – to get his thoughts ahead of the game.
It has been a summer of big change for Liverpool – just how profoundly was Jurgen Klopp’s exit felt?
“Extremely profoundly, no question about that. We’re talking about the loss of a manager who is rightly considered a modern equivalent of Bill Shankly given the job he did in restoring modern Liverpool to greatness.
“The club was in the doldrums when Klopp arrived and yet went on to win every trophy available all while spending much less than the likes of Manchester City.
“He also combined that with completely understanding the club, the city and its people. Losing an iconic and much-loved figure like that after eight-and-a-half years was always going to be difficult.”
What was your reaction to the hiring of Arne Slot, and that of the fanbase in general?
“If I’m honest, I think there were many who were underwhelmed initially. Xabi Alonso’s incredible achievements last season as well as his emotional ties with Liverpool meant he was the favoured candidate of many fans, and the supporters did a good job of talking themselves into Ruben Amorim once those links arose.
“But the news that it would be Slot kind of came out of nowhere, and so I wouldn’t say there was a huge wave of excitement regarding his appointment. That said, things seemed to change after an impressive pre-season in terms of results and performances.”
How have things been under Slot thus far? Are you happy with what you have seen, especially in the hammering of Manchester United?
“Up until Saturday it had been pretty flawless! Liverpool have looked really solid defensively and were majorly impressive in picking apart Ipswich, Brentford and then Manchester United prior to the international break.
“I’d also say winning at Old Trafford in your third game in charge is a decent way of getting supporters on side. But then the defeat to Nottingham Forest happened and, inevitably, some doubts have crept in.
“The question now is whether that was just a bad day at the office or if Slot is going to have an issue breaking down those tough Premier League low blocks. We’ll have to wait and see.”
What was your reaction to the Champions League draw and more specifically discovering you would face Milan again?
“I’d say there was excitement among supporters. You always want to have big games to look forward to and you don’t need me to tell you that Milan are a giant of European football.
“Also, every time Liverpool have faced Inter or Milan in recent years it has been thought to be their last chance to visit the San Siro, but they keep getting another opportunity to go there!
“Maybe this won’t even be the last time but, if it is, I’m sure fans will want to relish every moment of the visit.”
Are there any injuries/other selection problems? What is the starting line-up likely to be?
“Liverpool are doing pretty well in terms of injuries compared to the last couple of seasons, with Harvey Elliott the only player missing at the moment.
“The only other question mark is whether Federico Chiesa will be ready to feature in the squad having missed out against both Manchester United and Nottingham Forest as he builds up his fitness.”
Predicted Liverpool XI (4-2-3-1): Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Konate, Van Dijk, Robertson; Gravenberch, Mac Allister; Salah, Szoboszlai, Diaz; Jota.
Head to head
Milan have played Liverpool four times in their history, meaning that they have rather surprisingly faced four other English sides more despite the history in this particular fixture.
Two of the games need no introduction: the 3-3 draw in the 2005 Champions League final in Istanbul which Liverpool won on penalties after coming from three goals down, and the revenge of Athens two years later as the Rossoneri won 2-1 to lift their seventh European cup.
The most recent meetings came in the UCL group stage during the 2021-22 season, the one in which Milan won the Scudetto. Stefano Pioli’s side had the Reds on the ropes at Anfield as Ante Rebic and Brahim Diaz established a 2-1 lead, but Salah and Jordan Henderson engineered a second-half comeback and it finished 3-2.
In the return game at San Siro which closed out the group, the Diavolo needed a win to keep their last 16 hopes alive. Tomori’s header started things off perfectly, but goals from Salah and Divock Origi – now a Milan outcast – saw Liverpool come from behind to win and condemn their hosts to bottom of the group.
Key facts and stats
➤ 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).
Ones to watch
For Milan it feels like a large part of the outcome of the game will stem from how solid they are at the back and how the star players perform. Theo and Leao looked back to full confidence during Saturday’s win but the challenge now is to turn that into a string of good results.
This will be a big test for Pavlovic, Royal and Fofana after their summer arrivals, while Reijnders’ role will be interesting to watch and more specifically whether he plays further forward again or tries to create from deeper. Pulisic has four goal contributions in four games, so he is in red-hot form.
David gave us some more insight on Liverpool: “The usual suspects have been brilliant, of course: Virgil van Dijk, Mohamed Salah and Trent Alexander-Arnold are always going to be key to how Liverpool play.
“But it’s Ryan Gravenberch who has perhaps been the surprise package so far. He is really thriving in a deep-lying midfield role and is one of the reasons the team has looked so difficult to play through.
“If he and Alexis Mac Allister continue their good work together on Tuesday then it will give Liverpool the platform from which to win the game.”
Prediction
It feels obvious to predict that there will be goals in this one, given that Milan have scored nine in four games this season and Liverpool have plenty of attacking talent. A draw would not be the end of the world for both teams, and it could end up being a classic early in the league phase.
Milan 2-2 Liverpool
Liverpool are good but I’m quietly confident. We always struggle to break teams down we should beat, they low block and we can’t get through. However Liverpool will come and play, that plays to our strengths, the counter. The pivot will be crucial, two big strong units like Fofana and Ruben will need a good game and protect the defence. I’d prefer Gabbia at the back and Tammy up front but let’s see what Fonseca has got. This march could also be perfect for Reijnders to shine
Salah, Nunez, Jota and Luiz would torch Gabbia.
Just because he was decent against a neutered Venezia attack doesn’t mean he’s ready to play against Liverpool.
Tomori makes bad decisions when moving up for duels, but he has the pace to recover if things go south. Gabbia in a similar situation, I would not put my money down to do the same.
I disagree, I always find Gabbia to be pretty reliable, his decision making is good, he’s not a spectacular defender he’s no nonsense. Tomori can get too tight and get spun easily
The problem is when Milan move up the pitch to attack, the defenders also have to move up, to keep things tight.
If Liverpool take the ball and start a counter, Gabbia is not going to win in any footrace against ANY of the 4 Liverpool attackers.
He may be good position-wise, but just like Salad vs Bellanova in the Torino game, you can’t defend if you can’t even catch up to the player.
Bobby Moore was slow, John Terry was slow, ….it’s more about reading the game, position sense, don’t just make this about athleticism, that’s the problem with football today, people think if you’re fast and strong you’re a baller.
I’m also aware of the 25m between the lines, been pushing it for ages here l, I’m a huge advocate for Sacchi’s style. When people say a defender is slow…they aren’t what slow, not if they can read the game. Nesta at 35 was pocketing CR7, Messi and Henry In their prime
Only videogamers who don’t understand football think pace is everything.
Like Drew said above, Nesta surely wasn’t the fastest but did that show on the pitch? No. There is more to football than just “100m races to see who is the fastest”.
Gabbia was also very decent last season, probably our best defender when he returned from loan
He may have been decent last season, but do you know what his stats were?
26 goals conceded in 18 league games for Milan.
5 clean sheets only.
3 goals conceded against Stade Rennais
3 goals conceded against Slavia Prague
3 goals conceded against Roma
9 goals conceded in total against Europa League opponents. 1 clean sheet in 6 matches.
He may have been a stop-gap last season when Tomori, Kalulu and Thiaw were out injured/coming back from injury, but by no means was he all that “decent”.
We ended most of our matches in the second half of the season by outscoring the opponents 3-2, or drawing 3-3. It was Leao, Pulisic and Giroud and the attack saving our butts.
Stats like this are irrelevant and again the product of the PlayStation XG generation. A defence is a unit, not down to one player, it also takes into account the midfield and attack. You can’t just label all this on Gabbia because it suits your argument. I watched the games and he was out best defender
This Stefano era of losing 2 games in a row annoys me. We were not good in recent years. Liverpool won all their games in San Siro, since 2020. They know Milan the great Milan 🇮🇹
I’d start Gabbia too – he’s more solid than Tomori at the moment who went off the boil after the scudetto for some reason. I’m happy with Morata starting though and Abraham coming on later to torment the hell out of them. 🤞
I’d start Gabbia too – he’s more solid than Tomori at the moment who went off the boil after the scudetto for some reason. Plus it’d keep the same line up for a whopping two games in a row… I’m happy with Morata starting though and Abraham coming on later to torment the hell out of them. 🤞
I mean you know how much I love Morata 😂 but I think you’re right here..I prefer Tammy for his athleticism but Morata’s experience will be key tonight. Unleash Tammy around 70 mins
Emerson starting has me worried. Otherwise its a solid lineup. Liverpool are very good at counter so we need to be careful in transition to avoid counter attacks. Should be a interesting and entertaining game!
To that end, I’ve been thinking about it, and I think as a temporary solution fr the next two matches, I think I’d like to see Gabbia and Pavlovic in the middle and Tomori (yes, Tomori) on the right.
We’d lose some offense, but Emerson will be exploited mercilessly by LFC and Inter, and Calabria lacks the speed to stay with both of the next two left wings he’d be facing.
Just a thought. We need to do SOMETHING.
Good defenders are able to read the movements of attackers ahead of time. You must always be one step ahead of the attackers to beat them. Please stop picturing football as a 100m Olympics race where the runners position themselves at a solid line and make their dash after the signal.
This…..
I’ve watched Milan for over 30 years and I’ve seen Maldini do a number on R9…R9 was faster with the ball at his feet that most players are without it..defending is a team game, one goes, one stays tight, you can double up but ultimately it’s intelligence. In the CL final in 94 we had both
Our CBs suspended (Baresi and Costacurta) they were the best in the world back then. Barca had Romario and Stoichkov, the two best strikers in the world at the time, both went on to score 5 each in the World Cup that year. We had Fillipo Galli a veteran and Maldini who at that point was a LB cover at CB for the final, nobody gave us a prayer. Galli and Maldini pocketed both of them. In fact after an hour Romario and stoichkov swapped sides to try and get something out of the other defender.
You’re talking about world class defenders mate. Maldini, Baresi, Nesta, Costacurta.
World Class defenders for sure can do what they do to defend against speedy, tricky wingers and forwards.
Gabbia is not even close to that category of a defender.
I’d say he’s barely Scudetto Romagnoli level.
No you’re living in a world of make believe and
Missing the point…of course they were better defenders but that doesn’t mean you have to be fast and ‘94 rated’ to work in an effective defensive line, nor does it mean Gabbia is terrible. You sound like a classic fifa player, Salah is 94 rated and Gabbia is 78 so it’s no contest…..real football doesn’t work like that, And if you want to compare, Liverpool’s front line is where near the standard of the players Nesta, Maldini and Baresi faced.
Beleve it or not the difference between top top players, like Nesta and Maldini and the rest is not huge, it’s a small percentage, it’s that small percentage that makes them world class and more often than not it’s mental…a former player told me that.
Exactly. The “pace is everything” -mantra is really getting old.
Why do you all think that Milan will play attacking? The match will be boring and will end 0:0 ;)…..or 1:0 if Leao doesn’t miss the only 100% chance that Fonseca will create
Atmosphere at San Siro might be lacking tonight. I checked for tickets yesterday and there were lots of seats available, unfortunately 149 for nosebleeds was too steep for me. Never mind the 279 price tag on where I’d normally sit. Gone are the days of 20-100 € seats at San Siro, pre-Cardinale era.
EVERYTHING is more expensive these days. Not just the Milan tickets.