Liverpool vs AC Milan: Reds and Rossoneri renew acquaintances in UCL
Liverpool will take on AC Milan for the first time in European competition since the 2007 final on Wednesday evening. The Reds ended up losing that final 2-1 in regular time, but did pull off a remarkable comeback to beat Milan on penalties after coming from 3-0 down to secure a 3-3 draw. A lot has happened since then; as we all know, Liverpool went on to win another Champions League title in 2019, while Milan have been left in the dust. The Rossoneri haven’t had any success in Europe since 2007 and haven’t even been in the Champions League for eight years; in fact, in securing second, they’ve qualified for the first time since the 2013/14 campaign.
Both teams come into this match unbeaten so far in their respective leagues. Liverpool have earned ten points from their first four fixtures, which sees Jurgen Klopp’s men joint-tied with Manchester United and Chelsea. However, the Reds sit in third spot due to their inferior goal difference with United and having drawn 1-1 with Chelsea at Anfield. Milan, for their part, have won three games out of three, and are only behind Roma in the table due to the Giallorossi having a slightly better goal differential. Notably, both teams also have been quite solid defensively, conceding just once during that time-frame.
Yet, many would say that Liverpool are the favorites here, and for several reasons. Although the Reds are winless in their last two meetings with Italian sides, they did win six of their prior seven home meetings against teams in Serie A. Furthermore, Milan have a lousy record against English teams, with just one win in their last 13, while losing on eight occasions. And overall, the Rossoneri have won just two of their last eight in European competition overall (remember, they haven’t been in the Champions League since the 2013/2014 term), which were all in the Europa League from last season.
The visitors also will have to make do without veteran striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic. Although the Swedish star, who’s set to turn 40 in a few weeks, marked his return from injury with a goal during Milan’s 2-0 win over Lazio, he’s been ruled out here after struggling with an Achilles tendon issue in training.
However, they have been given a huge boost with the return of Olivier Giroud, as the 2018 World Cup winner has now recovered from COVID-19 and should be able to feature on Wednesday evening. In addition, Tiemoue Bakayoko, who was the unfortunate victim of racist abuse from Lazio fans, was subbed off shortly after coming on and now will need scans to determine what exactly the issue is. Meanwhile, Liverpool will have to make do without key striker Roberto Firmino due to a hamstring injury, plus teenager Harvey Elliott after the youngster suffered a horror injury during his team’s 3-0 win over Leeds United at the weekend.
This game could see Sadio Mane also write his name in the history books – if the Senegalese finds the back of the net, he’ll become just one of four Africans to score 20 or more goals in the Champions League, alongside Samuel Eto’o, Didier Drogba, and current teammate Mohamed Salah.
Will Milan mark their long-awaited return to the Champions League with a win over a familiar foe from ages past? Or will Liverpool get back on track to avoid a third straight game in which they fail to measure up against an Italian side?
