AC Milan vs. Liverpool: Match Preview, Odds & Predictions

Playing beneath the lights of San Siro, AC Milan, and Liverpool, two teams who have faced each other in previous Champions League encounters will meet for the first time in Tuesday's league phase opening.

Arne Slot and Paulo Fonseca, the two new managers of the two previous continental champions, have recent transgressions they must atone for before this week's Champions League matches.

Previous Matches and Head-to-head

Jurgen Klopp managed to get Liverpool back into the Champions League before Slot took over as manager. Still, they finished third in the Premier League instead of winning the Europa League, which was the anticipated outcome.

Highlights of the redesigned league phase include the six-time European winners' clashes with Real Madrid, the current champions, and Xabi Alonso's Bayer Leverkusen at Anfield. These matches will take place between now and the end of January.

In the 36-club league phase, Bologna, RB Leipzig, Girona, Lille, and PSV Eindhoven will all fight to keep Liverpool out of the quarterfinals as one of the top eight teams. Teams ranked ninth to twenty-fourth will have a playoff safety net, while teams ranked twenty-fiveth to thirty-third will be eliminated from Europe.

The Reds have won four of their past five European away games against Italian teams. However, they were utterly embarrassed by last year's Europa League quarterfinal loss to Atalanta BC and looked out of their element over the weekend. Now, they go to San Siro, hoping to redeem themselves.

Callum Hudson-Odoi, a former Chelsea wonderkid, scored a stunning goal to punish Liverpool for their worrying goalscoring incompetence. The Reds lost a humiliating 1-0 match against Nottingham Forest. Liverpool had won their opening three Premier League games without allowing a single goal all season.

A team that visited San Siro this week lost for the first time in 2024–25, while AC Milan, who had lost their first three Serie A matches under Paulo Fonseca, finally got their act together in the fourth try.

It was far too soon to say that the former Lille and Roma manager would be fired after the Rossoneri dropped two points in his first three games in charge. However, judging by Saturday's performance against Venezia, it was evident that the international break had a profoundly positive effect on him and his team.

Theo Hernandez, Youssouf Fofana, Christian Pulisic, and Rafael Leao scored in Milan's first 29 minutes of that league match. Fonseca's team eventually announced a 4-0 triumph, with the 51-year-old finally registering victory number one.

Being the second Portuguese manager to lead an Italian team in the Champions League, behind Jose Mourinho (who guided Inter Milan to the 2009–10 championship), the Rossoneri coach now has a tough act to follow.

Tuesday's opponents include Girona, Real Madrid, and Leverkusen in the league round, along with Club Brugge, Dinamo Zagreb, Slovan Bratislava, and Red Star Belgrade. However, the Rossoneri faithful will be hoping for vengeance as the main course on Wednesday.

Even though the 2006–07 Champions League final had already exacted revenge for the 2005 Istanbul miracle, Liverpool won both group-stage matches in the 2021–22 season. Divock Origi, a cult icon but now an exile for Milan, scored in a 2-1 victory at San Siro.

AC Milan x Liverpool Team News

Slot is very cautious about Federico Chiesa's health, so the Reds' last Premier League match did not include the new signing, even though he had a few training sessions before Forest's arrival.

Even if the Italian striker may debut in his native Italy, he is still very much in question for the trip to Milan because of the short turnaround. Meanwhile, Harvey Elliott cannot play because of his broken foot.

After coming off the bench on Saturday, neither Cody Gakpo nor Darwin Nunez had an impact up forward. However, with only 72 hours between matches, Slot will consider bringing them in as a starting eleven.

Ismael Bennacer (ankle), Alessandro Florenzi (ACL), and Marco Sportiello (ligament), none of whom would have replaced Mike Maignan in goal, will miss Milan's Champions League opening due to injuries sustained by Fonseca's squad.

Additionally, Davide Calabria is questionable after missing the Venezia thrashing with a leg injury, while German defender Malick Thiaw is also dealing with an ankle ailment that is proving tough to overcome; his prospects of making a midweek return are thin to none.

Abraham will likely start Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Christian Pulisic, and new transfer Alvaro Morata in place of the injured Morata unless Fonseca is forced to make a last-minute change due to an injury.

Our predictions

Full-time Draw @ 3.80 on Sky247.ng

The Rossoneri have gone undefeated in their four Champions League matches against English teams. Based on their contrasting domestic performances, Milan benefited more from the two-week break than Liverpool.

We expect the hosts' five-game winning streak against Premier League teams to end tonight, as Liverpool's inefficient attack should lead to few goalscoring opportunities for any forward changes.

Elevate your betting experience with SKY247 Nigeria. Join now and discover a thrilling world of sports, live events, and exclusive bonuses. Bet with confidence on your favourite teams and games.