After a group stage campaign where luck was not on their side for so long AC Milan will be hoping that fortune looks favorably on them in the final matchday as they welcome Liverpool to the San Siro on Tuesday. Stefano Pioli’s side do not have fate in their own hands but if Porto and Atletico Madrid draw in Group B’s other game then all they need is a win to move on.
That is usually easier said than done against Liverpool but with top spot already in the bag Jurgen Klopp may be tempted to rotate his squad, giving Milan just the chance they need to reach the Champions League knockout stages for the first time since 2014. Here is how you can watch the match and what you need to know:
Viewing information
- Date: Tuesday, Dec. 7 | Time: 3 p.m. ET
- Location: San Siro — Milan, Italy
- Live stream: Paramount+
- Odds: AC Milan +105; Draw +270; Liverpool +240
Storylines
Milan: Though the task will certainly be a challenging one Milan need not look that far into the rearview mirror for optimism when it comes to facing Liverpool. Though they lost to a near full strength opponent on Matchday 1 they pushed the Premier League giants far closer than anyone expected after a shaky start at Anfield, leading 2-1 at the break before slipping to a 3-2 defeat. Pioli is determined to apply the lessons he learned on Merseyside with a fluid frontline perhaps swarming around Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
“Liverpool will press high up the pitch, but we know them well and if we get out of their press, we can create important opportunities,” he said. “We must have many offensive players without giving them any reference point. [Rade] Krunic, [Brahim] Diaz, [Junior] Messias have the qualities to play between the lines and attack the space. Imagine a defensive line that doesn’t know who to mark. That’s a situation that we must use.”
Liverpool: Though Klopp says he will not change his entire starting XI such a quote is indicative of plans for a very different side from that which had to work until the last minute to earn victory over Wolverhampton Wanderers on Saturday. Divock Origi, the hero of the hour at Molineux, is among those who is in line to start in the San Siro.
“It’s special thing Origi’s skillset that he can come and play brilliantly,” his manager said. “The biggest game in our history against Barcelona, he started and he was incredible. He’s a positive person. Talented, shoots left and right, really quick, in the air a monster. An interesting package.”
Prediction
Milan are unlikely to go down without a fight but even a seriously weakened Liverpool are a tough prospect, one that may have too much for the Serie A side. PICK: AC Milan 1, Liverpool 1
