The five key battles that could win or lose the game for Milan against Liverpool | OneFootball

After winning their first game of the competitive season against Venezia at the weekend, AC Milan will be looking to make it two wins in two against Liverpool in the Champions League.

It has been a difficult start to the season for Milan, and this has been well-documented. However, a win against Venezia last time out will, hopefully, be a sign of change for the Rossoneri. Tonight, they face a Liverpool side who lost their last game after a fantastic start creating a flipped reality almost.

There are several key battles to look at, and let’s start with Theo Hernandez against Mo Salah. Perhaps it can be argued that this is the biggest battle of the evening, and you could suggest that battle would be a preferable ending to the night.

Theo has started the season poorly, by every standard, unfortunately not just his own. His struggles also were mirrored on international duty, and he was often caught out against Italy. Whilst the game against Venezia was much better, the opposition were much weaker.

Against a player like Salah, if the Frenchman is not at his best then the night could end up being humiliating for Milan. Given the left-back’s attacking tendencies, he must be completely aware of his Egyptian opponent, if he’s not, he will give one of the best attackers in Europe a free pass, and potentially free chances.

Another key battle to keep an eye on is Ruben Loftus-Cheek’s midfield battle against Dominik Szoboszlai. The Hungarian No.10 often drifts onto the right – likely to allow Salah to move more central – and Loftus-Cheek must be aware of that.

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According to suggestions from reports, the Englishman is expected to start on the left of the midfield three – from an attacking standpoint, perhaps, a fantastic idea, but defensively there could be issues – and this means he must be restricted in his play, focusing on his defensive responsibilities.

Sticking in the midfield, Tijjani Reijnders faces difficult opposition from his Dutch counterpart Ryan Gravenberch. Under Arne Slot, the Dutchman has seemed a completely new player and is starting to live up to the previous expectations of him.

However, Reijnders could be the key to unlocking not just Gravenberch but Liverpool’s entire midfield. In the summer, he was fantastic in a more advanced role and with fewer defensive responsibilities, he can focus on trying to make a difference in the opposition half.

Liverpool’s high pressing could open gaps for Reijnders to exploit, and with two very attacking full-backs, it can be argued that this could be the midfielder’s game to shine.

One of the battles with the most potential is Alvaro Morata’s against Virgil Van Dijk. Looking at their previous clashes, the Spaniard has not lost against the Dutch defender, and in the 2019/20 season, the striker was the reason for Liverpool’s exit from the competition.

Morata has a point to prove after returning from injury, and facing arguably the best defender in football currently is as good a test as any. The Spanish striker has spoken in depth about the responsibility playing for Milan requires, and leading the line against Van Dijk will be a welcomed challenge for him.

Staying on the attacking idea, the final battle which could decide the tie is Trent Alexander-Arnold and Rafael Leao. For the Portuguese winger, he has had a poor start to the season, and you can perhaps extend this further. However, facing Trent is a great opportunity.

Potentially, you could argue that ‘facing’ the English full-back could be a stretch with the Englishman often inverting. However, he could be under stricter guidelines against Leao given the Portuguese winger’s quality.

It will not be a one-way battle, though. Leao must attempt to lessen the danger that Alexander-Arnold naturally creates, so he must have a near-perfect game if the Diavolo are to exit the game with a positive result.