LIVE AC Milan vs Liverpool score, Champions League 2024/25: Starting lineups, preview, stats

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AC Milan: Maignan(gk), Emerson, Gabbia, Pavlovic, Hernandez, Reijnders, Fofana, Loftus-Cheek, Pulisic, Abraham, Leao

Liverpool FC: Alisson(gk), Alexander-Arnold, Konate, Van Dijk, Robertson, Gravenberch, Mac Allister, Salah, Szoboszlai, Gakpo, Nunez

Arne Slot had made a serene start to the unenviable task of succeeding Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool, but a 1-0 home defeat to Nottingham Forest has brought the Dutchman’s honeymoon period to an abrupt end and exposed cracks in the Reds’ facade.

Liverpool has little time to lick its wounds with a trip to AC Milan on Tuesday to open its return to the Champions League after a year away from Europe’s elite club competition.

Under Klopp, Liverpool’s prestige at the top of the European game was restored. The English giant reached three Champions League finals in five seasons between 2018 and 2022 and won the European Cup for the sixth time in the club’s history.

That is the legacy Slot inherits and the former Feyenoord boss has not been handed a kind draw by the new Champions League format.

Liverpool will face the two most succesful sides in the competition’s history in Milan and Real Madrid.

On the other hand, pressure had been building on Milan over the international break after just two points from its first three matches, and thousands of hardcore fans gathered outside the San Siro to show their support ahead of a big week for the seven-time European champion.

Paulo Fonseca’s team responded to that backing by sweeping sorry Venezia aside, racing into a four-goal lead within 29 minutes and cruising through the rest of the match.

-AFP