Overview
Liverpool meet AC Milan in the first match of the Champions League this season. This was also the first time coach Arne Slot led The Kop in the European arena.
The two sides have contrasting situations before entering this clash. Liverpool's excellent start was abruptly and unexpectedly stopped at home against Nottingham Forest.
Nottingham won their first away win against Liverpool since February 1969, ending a run of 25 league games without a win at Anfield.
Meanwhile, Milan finally had their first win of the new season when they defeated Venezia 4-0. This victory helped coach Paulo Fonseca reduce the pressure.
Slot will now turn his attention to Europe, where Liverpool return to the Champions League after a year in the Europa League. Last season, when he was in charge of Feyenoord, Slot could only manage the Dutch side in the third round of the Champions League.
Despite facing a tough fixture list, Liverpool can still be confident of 3 points against AC Milan. They have won four of their last five away games against Italian sides in European competition, all of which have come since 2020. They also had a double against Milan in the 2021-2022 Champions League group stage.
Mohamed Salah started the 2024-2025 Premier League season explosively and is also having good results in the European playground. Salah's 41 goals in the Champions League for Liverpool are the best any player has ever scored for an English club.
Meanwhile, Milan are unbeaten in their last four Champions League games against English sides (W2 D2). They have never been unbeaten in five consecutive games against English opponents in the C1 Cup/Champions League.
Head-to-head record
This will be the fifth time Milan and Liverpool have met in European competition, with half of the previous encounters taking place in the Champions League final. In the 2004-2005 season, Liverpool won on penalties, while in the 2006-2007 season, Milan won 2-1.
Liverpool have won all three of their Champions League games at the Giuseppe Meazza Stadium. They are the only team to have visited Giuseppe Meazza more than once but still maintain a 100% win record.
Score prediction
Despite having to play away, the "Red Brigade" is still rated with a 48.2% chance of winning this match. Meanwhile, AC Milan only has a 27.5% chance of successfully retaining 3 points at home. The remaining 24.3% is the scenario where the two teams will share points.
Prediction: AC Milan 1-2 Liverpool
The match between AC Milan and Liverpool takes place at 2:00 am on September 18 (Vietnam time).
