AC Milan vs Liverpool facts

Memories will be stirred of two UEFA Champions League finals – including perhaps the most remarkable in the competition's illustrious history – when AC Milan welcome Liverpool on Matchday 1 of the new league phase.

The English side produced a comeback for the ages to beat Milan on penalties in the 2005 final in Istanbul, although the Rossoneri claimed a measure of revenge with victory in Athens two years later.

Semi-finalists in 2022/23, Milan are making their fourth successive appearance in the competition proper, while their English opponents – who claimed the last of their six European Cups in 2019 – are returning to the Champions League having reached the UEFA Europa League quarter-finals last season.

Previous meetings

Matches 4
Milan wins 1
Liverpool wins 2
Draws 1
Milan goals 8
Liverpool goals 9

2005 UEFA Champions League final
Milan 3-3 Liverpool (aet, 2-3 pens)
Carlo Ancelotti's Milan looked set to claim the trophy for the second time in three years as they raced into a 3-0 half-time lead at the Atatürk Olympic Stadium in Istanbul thanks to goals from Paolo Maldini (1) – still 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 Rafa Benítez's side level.

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

2007 UEFA Champions League final
Milan 2-1 Liverpool
Milan got their revenge in Athens two years later, Filippo Inzaghi striking late in each half (45, 82) at the Olympic Stadium. Dirk Kuyt's 89th-minute effort was not enough to prevent the Rossoneri claiming the most recent of their seven European Cups.

2021/22 UEFA Champions League group stage
Liverpool 3-2 Milan
Liverpool kicked off their campaign with victory at Anfield, Jordan Henderson's 69th-minute goal securing the points. Fikayo Tomori's ninth-minute own goal had given the English side the lead before Ante Rebić (42) and Brahim Díaz (44) struck for Milan, Mohamed Salah levelling four minutes into the second period.

Milan 1-2 Liverpool
Jürgen Klopp's Reds became the first English side to win all six games in a Champions League group by coming from behind in Milan, Tomori striking first at San Siro after 29 minutes. The visitors were level seven minutes later through Salah and a goal ten minutes after half-time from Divock Origi – who went on to play for Milan – made it a perfect group campaign.

Form guide

Milan

Record vs English clubs: W13 D14 L19 F49 A56
Home record vs English clubs: W9 D5 L7

The Rossoneri faced English opposition at home on Matchday 1 of last season's Champions League, drawing 0-0 against Newcastle United at San Siro. The subsequent 2-1 away win on Matchday 6 sealed third place in Group F.

That was only Milan's second victory against English clubs in 13 games (D3 L8), since a 4-0 success against Arsenal in the 2011/12 round of 16 first leg.

The victories against Arsenal, Spurs in the 2022/23 round of 16 first leg (1-0) and Newcastle are Milan's only wins in their last 21 games against Premier League opponents (D6 L12).

Those wins against Spurs and Arsenal are the Italian side's only home successes in their last ten games against English sides, a run that includes seven defeats.

The Rossoneri are making their fourth successive appearance in the Champions League and a 21st overall, three behind Juventus's Italian record of 24.

Milan were Champions League winners in 1994, 2003 and 2007 and runners-up in 1993, 1995 and 2005. They are the only Italian side to triumph more than once in the Champions League era.

The seven-time European champions reached the knockout rounds for the first time since 2013/14 in 2022/23 but were unable to repeat the feat again last season, finishing third behind Borussia Dortmund and Paris Saint-Germain in Group F. A 2-1 Matchday 6 win at Newcastle gave them third place at the English club's expense and a spot in the UEFA Europa League.

Despite five victories in 2022/23 and last season's defeats of Paris and Newcastle, Milan have won only nine of their last 31 Champions League games (D9 L13). The 2-1 win against Paris on Matchday 4 in 2023/24 is one of only seven in their last 21 home fixtures, Matchday 1 to final (D7 L7).

Stefano Pioli's side beat Rennes (5-3 on aggregate) and Slavia Praha (7-3 agg) in their first two Europa League ties, but then lost an all-Italian quarter-final against Roma (0-1 h, 1-2 a).

Milan were second in Serie A in 2023/24, 19 points behind champions Inter. It was the third time in four seasons they had finished in the top two.

Pioli was replaced in the summer after five years as Milan coach, Paulo Fonseca appointed as his successor.

Liverpool

Record vs Italian clubs: W17 D6 L18 F52 A51
Away record vs Italian clubs: W7 D4 L9

Liverpool's 2023/24 European campaign ended in Italy, a 1-0 second-leg victory at Atalanta not enough to prevent a 3-1 aggregate quarter-final defeat at the hands of the eventual Europa League winners.

That second-leg success in Bergamo made it four wins in Liverpool's last five away games against Italian clubs.

Prior to that tie, Liverpool's previous 14 matches against Italian opposition had come in the Champions League, most recently taking on Napoli in the 2022/23 group stage. After a 4-1 defeat in Naples on Matchday 1, Klopp's side won 2-0 at Anfield in the final round of games, although that was only enough to finish second behind their Italian opponents.

This is Liverpool's 16th Champions League campaign; they have reached the final five times, lifting the trophy in 2005 and 2019.

The Merseyside club last featured in 2022/23, finishing second in their section behind Napoli before being edged out by Real Madrid in the round of 16 (2-5 h, 0-1 a).

Liverpool have won 13 of their last 18 away Champions League matches (D1 L4) including eight of the last ten.

Klopp's team took part in the Europa League in 2023/24, finishing first in their section with four wins from their six games (L2). They then overwhelmed Sparta Praha in the round of 16 (5-1 a, 6-1 h) but came up short against eventual winners Atalanta in the last eight (0-3 h, 1-0 a).

Liverpool were third in last season's Premier League, nine points behind champions Manchester City.

That was Klopp's last season in charge after nine years at Anfield; Arne Slot came in from Feyenoord to replace the German.

Links and trivia

Have played together:
Noah Okafor & Dominik Szoboszlai (Salzburg 2020/21)
Álvaro Morata & Federico Chiesa (Juventus 2020/22)
Alessandro Florenzi & Alisson Becker (Roma 2016–18)
Alessandro Florenzi & Mohamed Salah (Roma 2015–17)

Have played in England:
Ruben Loftus-Cheek (Chelsea 2004–23, Crystal Palace 2017/18 loan, Fulham 2020/21 loan)
Fikayo Tomori (Chelsea 2005–21, Brighton 2017 loan, Hull City 2017/18 loan, Derby County 2018/19 loan)
Tammy Abraham (Chelsea 2004–21, Bristol City 2016/17 loan, Swansea City 2017/18 loan, Aston Villa 2018/19 loan)
Álvaro Morata (Chelsea 2017–19)
Christian Pulišić (Chelsea 2019–23)
Emerson Royal (Tottenham 2021–24)
Ismaël Bennacer (Arsenal 2015–17)

International team-mates:
Rafael Leão & Diogo Jota (Portugal)
Tijjani Reijnders & Virgil van Dijk, Cody Gakpo, Ryan Gravenberch (Netherlands)
Ibrahima Konaté & Mike Maignan, Theo Hernández, Youssouf Fofana (France)

Arne Slot coached Reijnders at AZ Alkmaar in 2019/20.

Latest news

Milan

On Saturday Milan claimed their first win of the new campaign in style, scoring four times in the first half-hour against Venezia at San Siro to set up a 4-0 victory.

That was the first time Milan had scored four in the first 30 minutes of a Serie A game since October 1958.

Theo Hernández, Youssouf Fofana and Tammy Abraham, with a penalty, all scored their first goals of the season, Fofana and Abraham also opening their accounts for Milan.

Christian Pulišić, who also converted a spot kick on Saturday, is the only Milan player to have found the net more than once this season.

Milan had failed to win in their first three matches of the season (D2 L1) having conceded two goals in each game.

The Rossoneri came from 0-2 down to rescue a point at home to Torino in their opening game on 17 August thanks to late goals by new signing Álvaro Morata and Noah Okafor.

Pulišić's strike was not enough to avoid a 2-1 defeat away to promoted Parma on 24 August, while new signing Strahinja Pavlović and Rafael Leão were on target in a 2-2 draw at Lazio a week later.

Tijjani Reijnders scored for Netherlands both in the 5-2 win against Bosnia and Herzegovina and the 2-2 draw against Germany in the UEFA Nations League.

After scoring on his Milan debut, Morata missed the games against Parma and Lazio with a thigh injury, returning as a substitute on Saturday.

Ismaël Bennacer suffered a serious calf injury while on international duty with Algeria and could be out for up to three months.

Alessandro Florenzi has not played since suffering a serious knee injury in August. Marco Sportiello is also sidelined by a hand injury he suffered in pre-season.

Malick Thiaw has missed the last two games with an ankle injury.

Liverpool

The Reds' unbeaten start to the new season was ended by a 0-1 home defeat against Nottingham Forest on Saturday.

Liverpool have lost two of their last five Premier League games at Anfield, having suffered only one defeat in the previous 58.

The Merseysiders had won their first three Premier League games of the season without conceding.

The Reds were 2-0 winners at Ipswich and at home to Brentford before a 3-0 victory at Manchester United on 1 September.

That win at Old Trafford was Andy Robertson's 300th Liverpool appearance.

Mohamed Salah has three goals and three assists in this season's Premier League.

On 10 September Salah marked his 100th appearance for Egypt with the third goal in a 4-0 2025 CAF Africa Cup of Nations qualifying win in Botswana.

On 5 September Wataru Endo opened the scoring as Japan beat China PR 7-0 in a 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier.

The following day, Alexis Mac Allister got the first goal in Argentina's 3-0 defeat of Chile, also in World Cup qualifying.

On 7 September Luis Díaz scored Colombia's goal in a 1-1 World Cup qualifying draw against Peru while Cody Gakpo was on target in Netherlands' 5-2 UEFA Nations League win against Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Harvey Elliott is likely to be out until late October with a fractured foot.

Curtis Jones came on as a late substitute on Saturday having been out since suffering a muscle injury in training at the end of August.