It’s another exciting match in the opening game day of the UEFA Champions League as forgotten Italian legends A.C. Milan travel to Liverpool in what is expected to be an enticing and nerve-wracking fixture. Liverpool will definitely be the side to have more chances of winning this one out but we should not be sleeping on A.C Milan, especially after the start they’ve had to the season.
A.C. Milan makes a comeback in the UEFA Champions League after a long period and they look to make it big in this year’s competition. A.C. Milan has had a perfect start to the league, winning all three games out of three in Serie – A. They sit 2nd in the table only behind Roma only because of the goal difference. They’ve scored 7 in these three games and conceded just 1.
Liverpool also has had a great start to the season where they won 3 out of the 4 games possible, drawing the 4th. They scored 9 goals in these games and they’ve also conceded just one goal. They sit 3rd in the premier league table behind Manchester United and Chelsea F.C. on the basis of goal difference.
These two sides have met only twice all over in the history of the competition, with both matches coming in the finals of the competition and both sides winning each final.
https://instagram.com/ballthatmatters?igshid=1wlttk94e247j
LIVERPOOL F.C. VS A.C. MILAN – STATS
- Liverpool and A.C Milan have played each other only twice in this competition – 2005 UCL Final and 2007 UCL Final. Liverpool won the 2005 edition on penalties after coming down from 3 – 0 at half time in what is remembered as the magical night in Istanbul. Milan won the edition 2 years later in normal time with a score line of 2 – 1.
- Liverpool haven’t won in their recent 2 matchups against Italian Sides after winning six of their first seven. They’ve drawn with Napoli in 2019 – 20 and lost to Atalanta last year.
- A.C. Milan have won only 2 of the total 13 games they’ve played against English Opponents in European Competitions (UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League Combined). Their last victory against English opponents came in February 2012 over arsenal.
- Since the start of the 2017 – 2018 season, only two teams have won more games than Liverpool in the UEFA Champions League – Bayern (31) and Manchester City (30). These two teams are also the only teams to score more goals than Liverpool in the process – Bayern (112) and City (96) with Liverpool at 95.
- A.C. Milan have won only two of their last eight games in European Competition (D4 L2), with both these games coming in last year’s UEFA Europa League. They will be playing their first UEFA Champions League game since March 2014, when they were knocked out by Atletico De Madrid in the round of 16.
FORM
Liverpool F.C. (All Competitions) – W W D W
A.C. Milan (All Competitions) – W W W
TEAM NEWS
Liverpool
Harvey Elliot is unavailable for the home side for this fixture due to the horrific injury he suffered against Leeds in the Premier League. He joins Roberto Firmino, who continues to be out after having a hamstring injury. In his absence, Diogo Jota will continue to lead the line and will be flanked by Mohammed Salah and Sadio Mane. Jordan Henderson is expected to be back in the starting line–up after Elliot’s injury.
PREDICTED LINEUPS
Formation – 4 – 3 – 3
GK- Alisson Becker
Defense- Trent Alexander – Arnold Joel Matip Virgil Van Dijk Andrew Robertson
Midfield – Jordan Henderson Fabinho Thiago Alcantara
Attack- Mohammed Salah Diogo Jota Sadio Mane
A.C. Milan
The striker who never ages – Zlatan Ibrahimovic is back and he came back with a bang scoring a goal vs. Lazio. Olivier Giroud is also back after testing negative for coronavirus and it’ll be interesting to see who starts for the Bianconeri amongst Giroud, Ibrahimovic, and Rebic. Tiemoue Bakayoko is out of the clash as he played just 13 minutes against Lazio before picking up an injury.
PREDICTED LINEUPS
GK- Mike Maignan
Defense- Theo Hernandez Fikayo Tomori Simon Kjaer Davide Calabria
CDM- Sandro Tonali Franck Kessie
Attack- Brahim Diaz Ante Rebic Alexis Saelemaekers
ST/CF- Olivier Giroud
Players to watch out for
Mohammed Salah
The man has been in red hot form. His prowess is not talked about enough. He got his 100th Premier League goal in the outing against Leeds and he will look to replicate his amazing goal-scoring form vs. Milan.
Diogo Jota
The man has been a very key addition to Liverpool. Having deputized for Firmino, he hasn’t failed to impress. He will look to cause harm to the Milan Defense with his amazing skills.
Mike Maignan
The man was questioned a lot. He has certainly put a full stop to all the questions about whether he can be an able replacement for Donnarumma or not. He has certainly shown his talents and he will have a tough job to keep the Star-Studded Liverpool attack at bay.
Conclusion
It’s expected to be another of those glorious UEFA Champions League nights. Both the sides have amazing attacks and both have a very good defensive record in their respective leagues. We expect a match filled with drama and a few goals.
Our Prediction: Liverpool 2 – 2 A.C. Milan
For more such articles do click here
