Premier League champions Liverpool play their first game of their pre-season tour of Asia in a re-run of the 2005 Champions League final in Istanbul as they take on AC Milan in Hong Kong. The Reds came back from 3-0 down to win on penalties that night in Istanbul, but here, the stakes aren’t nearly as high. Needless to say, there are still plenty of talking points.
The first is that Hugo Ekitike, Arne Slot’s latest big-money signing, could play his first minutes in a Liverpool shirt, while £100million man Florian Wirtz may also get another outing after his cameos against Preston and Stoke. Alisson could well return in goal after new deputy Giorgi Mamardashvili manned the net for the first two games, while Jeremie Frimpong and Milos Kerkez could also get starts.
There could also be a start for the returning Alexis Mac Allister after his season was ended prematurely through injury, and wantaway winger Luis Diaz could also feature. Follow the game LIVE below with our dedicated match blog.
As for the Italians, they’re in the classic, catenaccio 3-5-2 shape.
They have pace and power at the back, with Fikayo Tomori, Malick Thiaw, and Strahinja Pavlovic all excellent athletes that can cover ground quickly and will be comfortable defending in wide areas.
As for their midfield quintet, Alexis Saelemakers is at right wing-back, while Davide Bartesaghi, the 19-year-old, will have his hands full with Salah.
New signing Samuele Ricci will play the Andrea Pirlo-esque pivot role, spraying passes and dictating from deep while Youssouf Fofana and Ruben Loftus-Cheek get up and down the field in a frantic, box-to-box manner.
Christian Pulisic will be the free-roaming forward behind the lone striker Rafael Leao, who has been positioned by Allegri as centre-forward, rather than on the left flank, where we are so used to seeing him cut inside and take on opposition full-backs with trickery and blistering pace.
The formation looks a bit confusing with the personnel that Slot has selected, but we’ve had a good go of trying to deduce what the Dutchman is doing…
It could be quite an inexperienced right side of the defence with Luca Stephenson and Tyler Morton at right-back and centre-back respectively, but Morton will have Virgil van Dijk next to him to talk him through the game.
In midfield, Harvey Elliott is in the three alongside Ryan Gravenberch and Dominik Szboszlai – no surprises there with Alexis Mac Allister still recovering from injury.
That leaves an exciting, if experimental, front three, where £100million man Florian Wirtz will be the false nine, flanked by Mohamed Salah and young starlet Rio Ngumoha on the left.
There are some huge absentees in that Liverpool squad.
Darwin Nunez and Luis Diaz are both left out entirely, with both linked with – and keen on – moves away from Anfield.
There is no debut for the new man Hugo Ektike, with the game coming a bit soon for the French striker, and it seems as though Florian Wirtz could play as a false nine instead.
There is also no place for Federico Chiesa, who was left out of the squad entirely as plans ramp up to facilitate his exit.
Confirmed AC Milan XI: Maignan; Tomori, Thiaw, Pavlovic; Saelemakers, Loftus-Cheek, Ricci, Fofana, Bartesaghi; Pulisic; Leao.
Subs: Terracciano, Torriani, Estupinan, Okafor, Jimenez, Chukwueze, F. Terracciano, Colombo, Comotto, Dutu, Bondo, Gabbia, Musah, Magni, Liberali.
Confirmed Liverpool XI: Alisson; Stephenson, Morton, Van Dijk, Robertson; Gravenberch, Szoboszlai, Elliott; Salah, Wirtz, Ngumoha.
Subs: Woodman, Mamardashvili, Konate, Jones, Gakpo, Tsimikas, Doak, Kerkez, Frimpong, Bradley, Nyoni.
Today’s game will take place at the Kai Tak Sports Park in Hong Kong.
The stadium can hold 50,000 at full capacity.
It will also play host to the north London derby between Arsenal and Spurs later on next week, before the Hong Kong national team take over for their Asian Cup qualification campaign.
Liverpool FC via Getty Images
Hugo Ekitike is the most high-profile name that could make his bow in a Liverpool shirt.
His initial £68million move from Eintracht Frankfurt was completed last week as Liverpool’s spending spree continued.
Florian Wirtz, Jeremie Frimpong, Milos Kerkez, and Giorgi Mamardashvili have all featured in the Reds’ first two games, but could play a part here.
As for Milan, Estupinan could make his first appearance, but Luka Modric will not feature after his involvement at the Club World Cup.
Liverpool made light work of Preston and Stoke.
Admittedly, they are both Championship sides, but the victories were morale-bolstering nonetheless, and allowed their new signings time to gel with their new team-mates.
This is certainly a step up in terms of quality opposition, but it should be one that the Premier League champions will be able to handle relatively easily.
Milan have their threats, but Arne Slot has so many options he can turn to in an attempt to nullify them.
The Reds named a 29-strong squad for their Asian campaign, and first-choice goalkeeper Alisson could be in line for his first start of pre-season after new deputy Giorgi Mamardashvili started both their friendly matches so far – in the 3-1 win over Preston and the 5-0 victory against Stoke behind closed doors. Luis Diaz, who wants to leave Anfield, could also make an appearance.
Latest updatesOlder updates
