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AC Milan v Liverpool – Premier League Preview

Venue – San Siro

Kick off – 20.00hrs

The weekend disappointment can now be set aside, as the Premier League loss to Nottingham Forest must now be extinguished with a positive showing in Italy. The reds secured their sixth European Cup against the giants of the San Siro, with the exploits of each famous club projecting similar results ever since. This encounter is the initial test within a revamped and somewhat confusing Champions League setup, however, the fundamental need to win remains for all teams to progress.

The Milan Availability

In terms of availability, Alessandro Florenzi, Ismaël Bennacer, Marco Sportiello, Malick Thiaw, and Davide Calabria, are all missing for the Milan manager, Paulo Fonseca, whereas Fikayo Tomori and Álvaro Morata will be hoping for recalls to the starting eleven.

Regarding their early season form, it has been a slow start for the European heavyweights, up until this past weekend at least. An emphatic 4-0 win (over visiting Venezia) was the perfect result after the international window. Prior to that break in the domestic schedule, a 2-2 draw was achieved at Lazio, after a disappointing 2-1 away defeat to Parma. Following four games played, Milan currently resides in 10th place in the Serie A standings.

A predicted line up for the home team is listed below, in a 4-3-3 formation. A patient endeavour will be undertaken, with a desire to overload the central areas. Chances may well be limited for Milan and the hosts will want to limit the chances conceded also.

GK – Mike Maignan

RB – Emerson Royal

RCB – Fikayo Tomori

LCB – Strahinja Pavlović

LB – Theo Hernández

RCM – Tijjani Reijnders

CDM – Youssouf Fofana

LCM – Ruben Loftus-Cheek

RF – Christian Pulisic

CF – Tammy Abraham

LF – Rafael Leão

The Liverpool Availability

In terms of injures, Harvey Elliott is sidelined for six weeks, whereas Alexis Mac Allister may be rested after some recent niggles. I suspect some reasonable rotation will be undertaken, however, at this early stage in new leadership, it is difficult to grasp how each competition and subsequent fixtures will be played.

Regarding recent form, the travelling party arrive in Italy on the back of a surprise and disappointing 0-1 loss at home to Nottingham Forest. That loss came straight after the international break, which was preceded by a superb 0-3 win at Old Trafford and a solid 2-0 win at home to Brentford. After their own four games played, the reds sit in 4th position in the Premier League table.

Below is the team I believe the Dutch boss, Arne Slot, may start for this Italian job. Though the weekend was a horror show in performances, it will still need a handful of starters to retain their places. More thrust and desire will be demanded by a team that will want to reignite its previous rhythm.

GK – Alisson Becker

RB – Conor Bradley

RCB – Jarell Quansah

LCB – Virgil van Dijk (c)

LB – Kostas Tsimikas

CM – Wataru Endō

CM – Curtis Jones

ACM – Curtis Jones

RF – Mohamed Salah

CF – Darwin Núñez

LF – Cody Gakpo

How Will This Contest Play Out

Liverpool will look to regain both composure and control, with more attention to their tactical game plan. I believe a quicker on ball initiative will be demanded by the reds Dutch Head Coach, to exploit an inconsistency in the Milan rearguard. For the hosts, a potent and dangerous attack will look to counter at speed against any space created in transition. The brilliance of Rafael Leão will test whichever combination is chosen on the righthand side of Slot’s defence, whereas Tammy Abraham remains a viable goal threat. A tight and cautious game should be low scoring, with both sides happy to record a point on match day one.

Player to watch – Federico Chiesa

Score Prediction:

AC Milan 1 – 1 Liverpool

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