2 months ago
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Two European giants are set to reignite their rivalry under the bright lights of the San Siro as AC Milan and Liverpool kick off their 2024/25 Champions League campaign on Tuesday night.
With both sides boasting rich continental histories, the stage is set for another thrilling encounter in Europe’s top competition.
AC Milan, under new boss Paulo Fonseca, and Liverpool, led by fresh face Arne Slot, are out to erase their early-season stumbles.
Slot, who took the reins from Jurgen Klopp, inherited a team that secured a third-place finish in the Premier League, ensuring their return to Champions League football.
However, much more is expected from the Reds this season, especially after missing out on silverware last term.
Liverpool’s first-round journey is packed with high-stakes showdowns. In addition to facing familiar foes AC Milan, they will lock horns with reigning champions Real Madrid and Xabi Alonso’s Bayer Leverkusen. Bologna, RB Leipzig, Girona, Lille, and PSV Eindhoven will also aim to throw a spanner in Liverpool’s European ambitions.
Only the top eight teams from the 36-club league phase will sail into the last 16, while those finishing 9th to 24th will have a playoff lifeline. For teams ranked 25th and below, it’s the end of the road.
Liverpool arrived in Milan off the back of a rare Premier League slip—a 1-0 defeat to Nottingham Forest, where a stunning strike from Callum Hudson-Odoi punished their wastefulness in front of goal.
Despite the setback, Liverpool’s record against Italian sides remains strong, with four wins from their last five European trips to Italy. However, memories of their Europa League quarter-final exit to Atalanta last season are still fresh.
AC Milan, meanwhile, finally got off the mark in Serie A with a commanding 4-0 victory over Venezia. After a slow start to the season, Fonseca’s men bagged their first win thanks to quick-fire goals from Theo Hernandez, Youssouf Fofana, Christian Pulisic, and Rafael Leao.
Fonseca, who faced early pressure after collecting just two points from his opening three matches, now looks to build on that momentum as he takes charge of his first Champions League match with Milan.
The Rossoneri will face tough competition in the group stage, with Real Madrid, Leverkusen, Girona, Club Brugge, Dinamo Zagreb, Slovan Bratislava, and Red Star Belgrade also in the mix. But for the Milan faithful, revenge over Liverpool is high on the agenda.
Though Milan avenged the heartbreak of the 2005 Istanbul final with victory in the 2007 Champions League final, the Reds got the better of them in the 2021/22 group stage, winning both encounters, including a 2-1 triumph at San Siro where former Liverpool cult hero, now-Milan outcast, Divock Origi, found the back of the net.
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