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Big Match Feature: AC Milan v Liverpool

football07 December 2021 05:20
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AC Milan conclude their Group B campaign at home to Liverpool at San Siro aiming to join their English visitors in theround of 16.

While Liverpool have made serene progress through the section, winning all five games, Milan had to wait until Matchday 5 for their first victory, snatching a late 1-0 win at Atlético de Madrid through competition debutant Junior Messias. That has taken them on to four points, level with the Spanish side and one behind second-placed Porto.


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Milan will go through if they win and the other game is drawn.

Liverpool kicked off the section with a 3-2 win at home to Milan, Jordan Henderson's 69th-minute goal securing a 3-2 success at Anfield; Fikayo Tomori's ninth-minute own goal had given the English side the lead before Ante Rebic (42)and Brahim Díaz (44) struck for Milan, Mohamed Salah levelling four minutes into the second period.

The Reds are one of three teams to have won all five group games so far, along with Ajax (Group C) and BayernMünchen (E). AC Milan (1992/93), Paris Saint-Germain (1994/95), Spartak Moskva (1995/96), Barcelona (2002/03), Real Madrid (2011/12, 2014/15) and Bayern (2019/20) have all previously recorded six wins from six in a UEFA Champions League group stage, although only Bayern went on to lift the trophy.

PREVIOUS MEETINGS

The Atatürk Olympic Stadium in Istanbul was the venue when the teams met in the 2005 UEFA Champions Leaguefinal, and Carlo Ancelotti's Milan looked set to claim the trophy for the second time in three years as they raced into a3-0 half-time lead thanks to goals from Paolo Maldini (1) – the fastest in a European Cup final – and Hernán Crespo(39, 44).

However, Steven Gerrard's 54th-minute header sparked a remarkable Liverpool resurgence, Vladimír Šmicer(56) and Xabi Alonso (60), following up after his penalty had been saved by Dida, bringing Rafael Benítez's side level.

With no further goals, the match was decided by a penalty shoot-out. Serginho and Andrea Pirlo failed to convertMilan's first two kicks and, though John Arne Riise's spot kick was saved by Dida, Dietmar Hamann, Djibril Cissé andŠmicer all scored, meaning Jerzy Dudek's save from Andriy Shevchenko confirmed Liverpool's 3-2 win.

Milan got their revenge in Athens two years later, Filippo Inzaghi striking late in each half (45, 82) at the OlympicStadium. Dirk Kuyt's 89th-minute effort was not enough to prevent the Rossoneri claiming the most recent of theirseven European Cups.

FORM GUIDE

Milan

European Cup winners on seven occasions, Milan are making their first appearance in the group stage since2013/14. This is the 18th time they have featured, four behind Juventus's Italian record of 22.

Milan's last 11 UEFA Champions League campaigns have all extended into the knockout rounds, although five of thelast six have ended in the round of 16.

The Rossoneri were beaten by Atlético in the 2013/14 last 16 (0-1 h, 1-4 a) having finished second in their sectionbehind Barcelona, picking up nine points from their six matches.

Milan have featured in European competition only three times since that 2014 defeat by Atlético, all in the UEFAEuropa League. They reached the round of 16 in 2017/18, losing to Arsenal (0-2 h, 1-3 a), before failing to progressbeyond the group stage the following season.

In 2020/21, Stefano Pioli's team finished first in Group H ahead of LOSC Lille, Sparta Praha and Celtic, picking up13 points, before knocking out Crvena zvezda on away goals in the round of 32 (2-2 a, 1-1 h). Once more they cameunstuck against English opposition in the last 16, however, going out 2-1 on aggregate to Manchester United (1-1 a,0-1 h).

The Rossoneri had lost five successive UEFA Champions League matches before drawing 1-1 at home to Porto onMatchday 4, while the victory at Atlético was only their second in their last 12 games in the competition (D4 L6). Athome they have two wins in their last 11 fixtures, group stage to final (D6 L3), and none in the last five (D3 L2).

Last season's home defeat by Manchester United means Milan have won just seven of their 16 games againstEnglish visitors (D4 L5), losing the last two and five of the last six.

Home and away, a 4-0 defeat of Arsenal at San Siro in the 2011/12 UEFA Champions League round of 16 first leg(4-3 aggregate) is Milan's only win in their last 14 games against Premier League opponents (D4 L9).

Milan are the only Italian side to win the UEFA Champions League more than once having triumphed in 1994, 2003and 2007. They were also beaten finalists in 1993, 1995 and 2005 but have not reached the quarter-finals since2011/12.

Liverpool

Liverpool are in the UEFA Champions League group stage for the 14th time; they have only failed to progress to thelast 16 or further three times.

This is Liverpool's fifth successive group campaign, all under Jürgen Klopp; runners-up to Real Madrid in the2017/18 final, they claimed their sixth European Cup at the expense of Tottenham with a 2-0 victory in the 2018/19final, goals from Salah and Divock Origi securing the trophy at Atlético's Estadio Metropolitano in Madrid.

Liverpool's last two UEFA Champions League campaigns have ended in defeat against clubs from Madrid. Dethroned by Atlético in the 2019/20 round of 16 (0-1 a, 2-3 h aet), they lost to Real Madrid in last season's quarterfinals (1-3 a, 0-0 h).

Klopp's side had finished first in Group D on 13 points, ahead of Atalanta, Ajax and Midtjylland, before beatingLeipzig 2-0 in both legs of their round of 16 tie with both games played in Budapest.

Champions of England for the 19th time in 2019/20, their first league title since 1990, Liverpool finished third in the2020/21 Premier League.

Liverpool have won eight of their last 11 UEFA Champions League matches away from Anfield (D1 L2).

Last season's 5-0 win at Atalanta ended the Reds' run of three successive defeats in Italy, although they havenevertheless been beaten in only four of their last 11 away games against Italian clubs, winning four.

Liverpool have met Italian clubs in four European Cup finals, winning two (against Roma in 1984 and Milan in 2005)and losing two (against Juventus in 1985 and Milan in 2007).

LINKS AND TRIVIA

Have played in England:

Olivier Giroud (Arsenal 2012–18, Chelsea (2018–21)

Tiémoué Bakayoko (Chelsea 2017/18)

Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Manchester United 2016–18)

Fikayo Tomori (Chelsea 2005–21, Brighton 2017 loan, Hull 2017/18 loan, Derby 2018/19 loan)

Ismaël Bennacer (Arsenal 2015–17)

Brahim Díaz (Manchester City 2016–19)

Giroud's record against Liverpool with Arsenal and Chelsea was W6 D6 L4; he scored eight goals against the Reds,including one in a 2-2 draw in the 2019 UEFA Super Cup in Istanbul which Chelsea eventually lost on penalties.

Ibrahimovic's late equaliser earned United a 1-1 Premier League draw at home to Liverpool on 15 January 2017.

Have played in Italy:

Alisson Becker (Roma 2016–18)

Mohamed Salah (Fiorentina 2015 loan, Roma 2015–17)

Salah won two of his three meetings with Milan in Italy, scoring in Roma's 3-1 Serie A win at San Siro on 14 May 2016.

Have played together:

Alessandro Florenzi & Alisson Becker (Roma 2016–18)

Alessandro Florenzi & Mohamed Salah (Roma 2015–17)

International team-mates:

Alexis Saelemaekers & Divock Origi (Belgium)

Andy Robertson and Simon Kjær were opposing captains as Scotland defeated Denmark 2-0 in Glasgow in a 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifier on 15 November.

Thiago Alcántara was born in Italy, where his father Mazinho was playing in 1991. Mazinho was a team-mate ofcurrent Milan coach Pioli at Fiorentina in 1991/92.

LATEST NEWS

Milan

Zlatan Ibrahimovic has scored 48 UEFA Champions League goals, group stage to final.

Ibrahimovic has made 149 appearances in UEFA club competition.

Milan earned their first win in three Serie A home games on Saturday (D1 L1), goals in the first 20 minutes from Franck Kessié – his third league strike of the season but his first non-penalty goal since 10 April – and Alexis Saelemaekers, with his first club goal since 20 December 2020, earning a 2-0 victory against Salernitana.

Milan have 38 points after 16 games, their highest total since 2003/04 when they had 39 points at the same stage and went on to win the title. They moved to the top of the table at the weekend, one point ahead of Inter and two above previous leaders Napoli.

Saelemaekers was the 14th player to score for Milan in Serie A this season; in Europe's top five leagues, onlyChelsea have more different scorers (16).

Having been unbeaten in their first 12 Serie A games this season (W10 D2), a 3-1 home loss against Sassuolo on28 November was Milan's second successive defeat.

The Rossoneri had taken the lead through a first goal of the campaign from Alessio Romagnoli, who was sent off 13minutes from time, and had not dropped points from a winning position previously in Serie A this season. Indeed, theprevious occasion was another home defeat against Sassuolo, 1-2 on 21 April.

Ibrahimovic's free-kick opened the scoring in Milan's 3-0 victory at Genoa on 1 December.

Junior Messias, who scored the Matchday 5 winner at Atlético, added two more goals against Genoa, and has threein his 253 minutes of football with Milan in all competitions.

That was Milan's biggest win since a 4-1 victory against Cagliari on 29 August, their first home game of the season.

After 16 games, Milan have the second best attack in Serie A with 35 goals scored.*

Goalkeeper Mike Maignan returned against Sassuolo after undergoing keyhole surgery to resolve a recurring leftwrist problem on 13 October.

Samu Castillejo has not played since suffering a thigh injury against Bologna on 23 October.

Davide Calabria picked up a calf injury after coming on as a substitute in Italy's 1-1 draw against Switzerland on 12November and has not played since.

Ante Rebic has not played since suffering a serious thigh injury against Inter on 7 November.

Olivier Giroud has missed the last three games with a thigh injury. Ismaël Bennacer was also absent against Genoawith labyrinthitis, returning as a substitute on Saturday.

Simon Kjaer, who has extended his contract with Milan until June 2024, suffered a knee injury against Genoa and isout of action until the new year.

On-loan striker Pietro Pellegri, who is not in Milan's UEFA Champions League squad, made his first start of theseason on Saturday after a series of injuries, but lasted only 15 minutes before limping off after landing awkwardly.

Kjær and the Danish medical team, whose quick reactions and expertise saved the life of Christian Eriksen at UEFAEURO 2020, were presented with the 2021 UEFA President's award in Istanbul on 26 August

Kjær finished 18th in the voting for the Ballon d'Or on 29 November.

Liverpool

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain has made 49 appearances in the UEFA Champions League, group stage to final.

Liverpool's record in this season's Premier League is W10 D4 L1, although they needed an added-time goal fromsubstitute Divock Origi, his second in successive league games, to secure a 1-0 win at Wolverhampton Wanderers onSaturday.

That was Liverpool's 13th winning Premier League goal in the 90th minute or later under Jürgen Klopp, four morethan any other side in that time.

Liverpool had scored four goals in each of their previous three league games, 4-0 home wins against Arsenal andSouthampton preceding a 4-1 success at Everton on 1 December – the first time the Reds had scored four goals in anaway Merseyside derby since November 1982.

Trent Alexander-Arnold has 39 assists since the start of the 2018/19 Premier League season, more than any otherplayer.

The Reds surrendered the English top flight's last unbeaten record this season on 7 November, when they wentdown 3-2 at West Ham.

That ended the Merseyside club's 25-game sequence without defeat in all competitions (W18 D7), stretching back tothe 3-1 loss at Real Madrid in last season's UEFA Champions League quarter-final first leg.

Liverpool have scored 64 goals in 22 games this season, including four or more in six of their last 14 matches.

The Reds have scored two or more goals in 20 of their 22 games in all competitions this season, the exceptions the1-1 Premier League draw against Chelsea at Anfield on 28 August and at Wolves on Saturday.

Liverpool have scored 44 league goals this season, fewer only than Bayern München (45) among Europe's top five leagues. The Reds have scored 26 away goals, the most in the English top flight after eight matches since Burnley hit27 in 1961/62.

Mohamed Salah is the Premier League's top scorer with 13 goals, four more than any other player.*

Salah scored twice at Everton and has been directly involved in at least one goal in each of his last 13 PremierLeague appearances (11 goals, 8 assists) including setting up Origi's winner on Saturday.

Salah's goal at Norwich on 14 August made him the first player ever to score in the opening Premier League gamefive seasons in a row.

Jürgen Klopp's side will be at home to Leicester in the League Cup quarter-finals on 22 December.

Joe Gomez, whose last appearance came on 27 October, has been sidelined by a calf problem.

Naby Keïta picked up a shin injury in Liverpool's 5-0 win at Manchester United on 24 October; he started in the 2-2home draw against Brighton on 30 October but was forced off midway through the first half with a hamstring injury ofhis own and has not featured since.

Curtis Jones, whose last appearance came in that Brighton game, has been sidelined by an eye injury picked up intraining.

Roberto Firmino suffered a hamstring injury on Matchday 4 and has not played since.

Harvey Elliott has been out since suffering a dislocated ankle in a 3-1 win at Leeds on 12 September.

Salah finished seventh in the voting for the Ballon d'Or on 29 November.

On 30 November Liverpool announced Cláudio Taffarel, part of Brazil's 1994 FIFA World Cup-winning team, will jointhe club as goalkeeping coach.

Ray Kennedy, who won the European Cup with Liverpool in 1977, 1978 and 1981 and five league titles with the club,died on 30 November aged 70. He scored 72 goals in 393 appearances between 1974 and 1981.

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