Preview: AC Milan vs. Liverpool
The Reds return to the Champions League after a year slumming it in the continent’s second-tier competition.
AC Milan vs Liverpool
| Tuesday, September 17th |
Champions League | San Siro
8PM BST / 3PM EST
After a year competing with Europe’s second best, Liverpool are back in the big time, and with the new Champions League format, the Reds won’t be short on epic contests against big-name teams.
Unlike tomorrow’s visitors, AC Milan didn’t collect their first win of the season until the fourth game of the campaign, smacking Venezia 4-0 on Saturday, following on from two draws and a defeat in their opening three games. The Rossoneri currently sit ninth in the table, having conceded six goals in four games, and will be looking to turn things around with a big win in front of a packed San Siro on Tuesday night.
The Italians have been busy in the transfer market this summer, picking up former rumoured Liverpool target Youssouf Fofana, Salzburg defender Strahinja Pavlovic and Tottenham outcast Emerson Royal along with Alvaro Morata, while Tammy Abraham has arrived on loan from Roma.
Manager Paulo Fonseca won’t be able to call on his strongest XI, however, as Alexis Saelemakers, Ismael Bennacer, Alessandro Florenzi and potentially Malick Thiaw all look set to miss out with injury.
Projected Liverpool Lineup (4-3-3)
Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Konaté, van Dijk, Tsimikas; Gravenberch, Jones, Szoboszlai; Gakpo, Darwin, Salah
Given the lack of rotation to start the season, it’s difficult to predict exactly how new head coach Arne Slot will manage his resources in the Reds’ return to the Champions League, but with only Harvey Elliott missing through injury, there is a good chance there will be some movement.
At the back, expect the trio of Trent Alexaner-Arnold, Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konaté to retain their spots, while Andy Robertson could be in line for a rest, with Kostas Tsimikas coming in as back-up.
In midfield, a break for Alexis Mac Allister — who spent the international break traveling further than most of the club’s players — could be on the cards, with Curtis Jones joining Ryan Gravenberch in the central pivot. Dominik Szoboszlai would normally be a candidate for a rest here, but Elliott’s injury could get in the way of that.
Up top, a first start under Slot for Darwin NĂºĂ±ez seems plausible, as a largely ineffective Diogo Jota was subbed off on the hour mark at the weekend, while the CONMEBOL legs of Luis DĂaz could see some minutes on the bench, with Cody Gakpo coming in as cover. Mohamed Salah needs no rest.
What the Managers Said
Arne Slot: “I don’t think any manager is scared to play the other team but we have a lot of respect for AC Milan. They have quality, we’re not scared but we respect all their players.”
Paulo Fonseca: “Liverpool are a great team, one of the strongest in Europe with very strong positional play and with individuality that we all know. We have to be defensively perfect to win.”
The Officials
Referee: Espen EskĂ¥s (NOR)
Assistant referees: Jan Erik Engan, Isaak Elias Bashevkin (NOR)
Fourth official: Kristoffer Hagenes (NOR)
VAR: Bastian Dankert, Christian Dingert (GER)
Kickoff is set for 8PM GMT/3PM EST tomorrow, and television listings for the match can be found on LiveSoccerTV.
In the meantime, and as always, we’ll be keeping you updated with all the buildup to the game, including team news as it’s released, our live matchday thread, and post-match recaps from The Liverpool Offside staff. If you want to join the discussion, sign up for an SB Nation account to have your say on the action as it happens.
Source: liverpooloffside.sbnation.com
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