AC Milan’s forward Alvaro Morata reacts during the 'Silvio Berlusconi'-Trophy soccer match between AC Milan and Monza at the Giuseppe Meazza stadium in Milan, Italy, 13 August 2024. EPA-EFE/DANIEL DAL ZENNARO
Alvaro Morata Milan EPA-EFE/DANIEL DAL ZENNARO

Milan bring Alvaro Morata back with Rafael Leao and Christian Pulisic for their massive Champions League opener against Mohamed Salah’s Liverpool.

It kicks off at San Siro at 20.00 UK time (19.00 GMT).

You can follow all the build-up and action as it happens from this game and Juventus-PSV Eindhoven on the LIVEBLOG.

This is Matchday 1 of the new and expanded tournament, where all 36 teams go into a single table and face eight different opponents.

The Rossoneri were already feeling the pressure after two points from the opening three Serie A rounds, but then flattened Venezia 4-0 on Saturday with all the goals in the opening half-hour.

Morata was rested for that game and returns here along with Davide Calabria and Fikayo Tomori.

Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Tijjani Reijnders swapped places between the midfield and trequartista roles, so could try to make that an unpredictable element for Milan as they fan out behind the EURO 2024 winner.

Malick Thiaw, Ismael Bennacer, Alessandro Florenzi and Marco Sportiello are out of action.

Liverpool had the perfect start under Arne Slot, winning all three opening games with a clean sheet, until Saturday’s surprise 1-0 home defeat to Premier League minnows Nottingham Forest.

The only absentee is Harvey Elliott, so ex-Roma star Salah joins Cody Gakpo, Dominik Szoboszlai and Diogo Jota.

Of the seven goals scored so far this season, six were evenly split between Salah and Luis Diaz.

Italy international Federico Chiesa is on the bench and waiting for his Liverpool debut.

This is a rivalry that lit up the Champions League Final in 2005 and 2007, winning one apiece.

Since then, there were two group games both won by the Reds in 2021.

Milan vs. Liverpool line-ups

Milan: Maignan; Calabria, Tomori, Pavlovic, Theo Hernandez; Fofana, Reijnders; Pulisic, Loftus-Cheek, Leao; Morata

Liverpool: Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Konaté, van Dijk, Tsimikas; Mac Allister, Gravenberch; Salah, Szoboszlai, Gakpo; Diogo Jota

Ref: Eskas (NOR)

Player statistic

1st half
Christian Pulisic
(Assist: Álvaro Morata)
Goal 3'    
Davide Calabria Yellow card 22'    
    23' Goal Ibrahima Konaté
(Assist: Trent Alexander-Arnold)
Youssouf Fofana Yellow card 31'    
    41' Goal Virgil van Dijk
(Assist: Konstantinos Tsimikas)
2nd half
    53' Yellow card Alexis Mac Allister
    67' Goal Dominik Szoboszlai
(Assist: Cody Gakpo)
    80' Yellow card Ibrahima Konaté

Match statistic

49
Possession %
51
8
Total shots
23
2
Shots on target
11
4
Shots off target
8
2
Blocked shots
4
2
Corners
5
3
Offsides
4
9
Fouls
12
Milan
Liverpool

Starting lineups

16
Goalkeeper
51'
2
Defender
70'
23
Defender
84'
31
19
Defender
8
Midfielder
70'
14
Midfielder
29
Midfielder
7
Attacker
84'
11
10
Attacker
1
Goalkeeper
5
Defender
21
4
Defender
10
Midfielder
90'
8
Midfielder
38
Midfielder
66
79'
18
Attacker
68'
20
Attacker
68'
11
Attacker
90'

Substitutes

69
Goalkeeper
42
Midfielder
21
Attacker
80
Midfielder
18
Midfielder
33
96
Goalkeeper
51'
90
Attacker
70'
22
Defender
70'
46
Defender
84'
17
Attacker
84'
26
Defender
17
Midfielder
62
Goalkeeper
56
Goalkeeper
84
Defender
78
Defender
80
Midfielder
7
Attacker
68'
9
Attacker
68'
2
Defender
79'
14
Attacker
90'
3
Midfielder
90'

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