AC Milan vs Liverpool: Champions League Preview, Head-to-Head & Predicted Line-ups

Date: Tuesday, December 7, 2021
Kick-off at 20:00 UK/21:00 CET
Venue: Stadio Giuseppe Meazza

Matchday 6 will prove to be the decisive round for Group B considering the one-point margin separating Atletico Madrid, AC Milan and Porto.

Liverpool will look to make it from wins from six matches whereas AC Milan will hope to achieve what was thought to be impossible only a few weeks ago and seal a spot for the knockout round.

AC Milan vs Liverpool Head-to-Head

• The reverse fixture ended in a 3-2 win for Liverpool. 
• The clubs share a rich history in the Champions League: Liverpool won 3-2 on penalties in 2005 after falling 3-0 behind at half-time but Milan would get revenge in 2007 with a 2-1 victory.
• In the three meetings between these teams, neither side has kept a clean sheet.

Key Stats & Analysis

Both sides won their previous game as Milan recorded a crucial 1-0 victory against Atletico Madrid whereas Liverpool, who have won every game so far in the group stage, defeated Porto 2-0.

Klopp’s side will be able to play without nerves considering they have already won the group whereas Milan will be full of unease knowing that they need a win to have any hope of finishing the group in second place.

The Rossoneri climbed to first in Serie A after their recent 2-0 victory over Salernitana but have only won a single game in the group stage so far after their three opening matches.

They are not in full control of their fate as they need a Porto-Atletico draw on top of a victory against Liverpool to book their place in the knockout stage.

No team visiting the San Siro has kept a clean sheet this season and it would be the perfect opportunity for Milan to win their first Champions League match on home soil since September 2013.

The Reds have found success across all of their competitions this season and will look to make another routine win out of this match.

Liverpool are only one of three teams to boast a perfect record in the group stage and they will try to win six out of six for the first time in club history.

Team News

AC Milan

Zlatan Ibrahimović will inevitably lead the line after being rested over the weekend. Junior Messias will rival Alexis Saelemaekers to start on the right-wing after his recent heroics against Genoa and Atletico.

Simon Kjær will be out for six months after having ACL surgery. Pietro Pellegri also joins the injury list alongside Olivier Giroud, Davide Calabria, Ante Rebic, Samu Castillejo and Alessandro Plizzari.

Liverpool

The Reds have some injuries in Harvey Elliot, Curtis Jones, Joe Gomez, Naby Keita and Roberto Firmino, but Klopp will likely field a rotated line-up considering the stakes of this fixture.

Expect Ibrahima Konate, Kostas Tsimikas, Neco Williams and Takumi Minamino to make the starting XI or feature as substitutes.

Predicted Line-ups

AC Milan (4-2-3-1): Maignan; Kalulu, Tomori, Romagnoli, Hernandez; Kessie, Tonali; Saelemaekers, Diaz, Leao; Ibrahimovic.

Liverpool (4-3-3): Alisson; Williams, Konate, Van Dijk, Tsimikas; Morton, Henderson, Oxlade-Chamberlain; Salah, Origi, Minamino.

Prediction

A must-win match for the Rossoneri and an opportunity to make it six out of six for the visitors.

AC Milan will throw everything they have at the visitors to keep the dream of knockout qualification alive. Klopp’s side will likely be rotated, considering they have already won the group.

The Rossoneri have the upper hand and it will likely be a tight match that will be dependent on each team’s clinicality in the final third.

The Italians will be desperate to win against the high-scoring English team. We expect them to repeat history and take revenge against their European rivals. 

AC Milan 2-1 Liverpool

Stats from Transfermarkt.com.