AC Milan reached the quarter-finals of the Europa League last season after finishing third in their Champions League group.
However, they are back in the Champions League this year, thanks to their impressive second-place finish in Serie A.
Although they were far behind Inter, they managed to finish ahead of teams like Juventus and AS Roma. Despite promising performances during pre-season, including wins over teams like Manchester City, Real Madrid, and Barcelona, AC Milan have struggled in Serie A so far.
They were held to 2-2 draws by both Torino and Lazio, and suffered a 2-1 defeat to Parma, leaving them in 14th place in the standings—well below their usual standards.
On the other hand, Liverpool missed out on the Champions League last season, a rare occurrence for the club. Under Jürgen Klopp, the Reds failed to reach the Europa League final, being knocked out in the quarter-finals by Atalanta.
Despite facing numerous injuries throughout the season, they secured a third-place finish in the Premier League, which earned them a spot in this year’s Champions League.
With Arne Slot now at the helm, Liverpool have made an excellent start to the new season, winning all three of their Premier League matches against Ipswich (2-0), Brentford (2-0), and Manchester United (3-0) after an impressive pre-season.
For Milan, there have been several notable absentees, including summer signing Alvaro Morata from Atletico Madrid, as well as Florenzi, Sportiello, and Thiaw. However, Bennacer and Jovic, who missed the last match before the break, are expected to return after representing their national teams.
The core of the team remains largely unchanged, with key players like goalkeeper Maignan, defenders Hernandez and Tomori, midfielders Reijnders and Loftus-Cheek, and wingers Leao and Pulisic still in place. With Giroud’s departure, Jovic and Okafor are currently leading the attack while awaiting Morata’s arrival.
Milan has also made some solid signings, including French international Fofana, Spurs full-back Emerson Royal, and defender Pavlovic from RB Salzburg, although only Pavlovic has found his place in the starting eleven so far.
Liverpool, meanwhile, haven’t spent excessively in the transfer market but made some smart acquisitions, notably signing Federico Chiesa for just €12 million and Georgian goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili for the future, though he will spend a season on loan at Valencia.
Some youth players like Van den Berg and Carvalho were sold to Brentford, while Bobby Clark left for Salzburg. Promising talents like Doak and Bajcetic were loaned out.
The biggest change for Liverpool has been the arrival of Arne Slot as manager, replacing Klopp. Slot has maintained some of the team’s core players, including Van Dijk, Alisson, Alexander-Arnold, Mac Allister, and Robertson in the starting lineup, while younger players like Gravenberch and Szoboszlai have been integrated into the midfield.
Salah (3 goals, 3 assists), Diaz (3 goals, 1 assist), and Diogo Jota (1 goal, 1 assist) have been standout performers so far this season. Chiesa may feature in the squad, but Curtis Jones is still sidelined with an injury.
Prediction
AC Milan have been involved in high-scoring games in recent Champions League outings, with both teams finding the net in nine of their last ten matches.
This trend is expected to continue, especially considering that 15 of Liverpool’s last 18 away games in this competition have also seen both teams score.
Prediction: Milan 1-3 Liverpool
