Liverpool Vs AC Milan preview, H2H, team news, line-ups and prediction

Liverpool and AC Milan are set to rekindle their historic rivalry in a preseason clash this Saturday at the 50-ooo capacity Kai Tak Sports Park in Hong Kong.

While Milan already kicked off their Far East tour earlier in the week, this encounter marks just Liverpool’s third outing of the summer, following 3-1 and 5-0 victories against Preston North End and Stoke City, respectively, in their opening two friendlies.

After such a commanding domestic campaign last season, the Reds appear determined to raise the bar further heading into 2025–26.

Arne Slot may have clinched the Premier League title with a squad built mainly by Jurgen Klopp, but the Dutchman is now putting his stamp on Liverpool, with a series of bold, high-profile signings signalling a new era at Anfield.

Hugo Ekitike is the latest to arrive in a busy window that’s already seen the additions of Milos Kerkez, Jeremie Frimpong, and English-record signing Florian Wirtz, as the Reds look to defend the crown they pried from Manchester City back in May.

After ending last season on a quiet note—failing to win any of their final four games—Liverpool returned to action with a 3-1 victory over Preston North End at Deepdale, in what was an emotional outing for fans with Liverpool tickets following the heartbreaking passing of beloved forward Diogo Jota.

Now in Asia for a short pre-season tour, Liverpool will face Milan next before taking on Yokohama F. Marinos, then round off preparations against Athletic Bilbao ahead of the Community Shield meeting with Crystal Palace.

Liverpool and Milan share one of European football’s most iconic rivalries, having met in both the 2005 and 2007 Champions League finals—each winning one apiece. Since then, however, Liverpool have taken control of the fixture, winning all three friendlies and each of the three subsequent Champions League meetings.

Their most recent showdown came during the opening round of the new league phase in last season’s Champions League, where Liverpool secured a 3-1 win at San Siro, overturning an early deficit after Christian Pulisic had given Milan the lead.

While the Reds can reflect on a title-winning campaign, it was a season to forget for Milan. Apart from their Supercoppa Italiana victory over archrivals Inter, there was little to cheer. They suffered a 1-0 defeat to Bologna in the Coppa Italia final and slumped to an eighth-place finish in Serie A, missing out on European football entirely—a damning fall for a club so recently a Champions League regular.

Milan began their pre-season this week with a 1-0 loss to Arsenal, followed by a penalty shootout victory over the Gunners (6-5). It marked the return of Massimiliano Allegri to the San Siro dugout, 11 years after he departed for Juventus. His second stint begins with a daunting rebuild, as key figures like Tijjani Reijnders and Theo Hernandez have already departed, and further exits could follow.

With their European calendar empty next season, Milan’s full focus will shift to domestic matters. The new Serie A season begins against Cremonese on August 23. Still, before then, Allegri’s side will continue their preseason with friendlies against Perth Glory and Chelsea before facing Bari in the Coppa Italia the week before the league’s return.

Liverpool vs. AC Milan match details

• Date: Saturday, July 26, 2025
• Location: Kowloon City, Hong Kong
• Venue: Kai Tak Sports Park
• Kick-off Time: 17:00 IST/11:30 GMT/07:30 ET/04:30 PT, 12:30pm BST
• Tickets: Purchase Liverpool vs AC Milan tickets through the official club websites or via reputable resellers such as Seatsnet.com

Match stats and head-to-head

• Since losing to Milan in the 2007 Champions League final, Liverpool have gone on to secure six consecutive victories over the Italian side.

• The Italian giants have suffered defeat in three of their past four outings, including their first pre-season friendly loss to Arsenal on Wednesday.

• Liverpool have found the back of the net eight times across their previous two matches.

• Each of the last four clashes between these two clubs has featured more than 2.5 goals.

• Both sides have managed to get on the scoresheet in all of their last four meetings.

Team News

Slot handed out debuts to Jeremie Frimpong, Milos Kerkez, and new goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili in the 3-1 win over Preston earlier this month—the Georgian shot-stopper having now signed permanently after spending last term on loan at Valencia.

Liverpool supporters will be eager to witness Florian Wirtz don the red shirt for the first time, with this clash offering the potential for his long-awaited debut since arriving from Leverkusen during the summer window.

Virgil van Dijk, Alexis Mac Allister, Luis Diaz, Alisson, and Ibrahima Konate all sat out the friendly at Deepdale but have travelled with the team to Asia and are expected to play some part on Saturday.

Trey Nyoni and Rio Ngumoha are also part of the travelling squad, and with both youngsters having impressed so far in pre-season, Slot could turn to the academy ranks once more.

Alisson is likely to return to action after being kept out recently under concussion protocol regulations.

The Dutch boss is tipped to name a lineup that closely mirrors his strongest XI, with van Dijk, Mohamed Salah, and Ryan Gravenberch all in line for starting berths.

Konate might also feature, despite uncertainty continuing to swirl over the Frenchman’s future at Anfield.

Meanwhile, Milan’s summer overhaul has continued following the departures of Tijjani Reijnders and Theo Hernandez. While Rafael Leao remains heavily linked with a move elsewhere, the Portuguese winger is still part of the squad and started against Arsenal.

The Rossoneri have heavily invested in midfield reinforcements—Samuele Ricci joining the fold alongside seasoned veteran Luka Modric, who made the switch following a glittering decade with Real Madrid.

There are no injury carryovers from the previous campaign, although Santiago Gimenez is doubtful after participating in the Gold Cup. However, with Luka Jovic, Tammy Abraham, and Francesco Camarda all having left, Milan fielded no recognised striker in the Arsenal encounter.

Predicted starting lineup

Liverpool predicted starting lineup:

Mamardashvili; Frimpong, Konate, Gomez, Kerkez; Gravenberch, Endo, Jones; Salah, Nunez, Ngumoha.

AC Milan predicted starting lineup:

Terracciano; Tomori, Thiaw, Pavlovic; Saelemaekers, Ricci, Musah, Loftus-Cheek, Chukwueze; Leao, Okafor.

Prediction

Milan maintained their composure against Arsenal for significant portions of the match. Still, the absence of a recognised centre-forward was evident as they struggled to produce a real cutting edge in the final third—an unsurprising outcome given the lack of senior strikers in their tour squad.

Facing a Liverpool side stacked with attacking talent will present a completely different type of challenge for the Serie A outfit.

These are two storied clubs who are no strangers to each other—giants of the European stage. While it’s only friendly, it offers the perfect platform for summer recruits to impress and establish themselves in starting contention. Matches between Milan and Liverpool have often delivered entertainment and goals, and there’s every reason to believe this one will follow suit.

Goals at both ends look likely in what should be an engaging encounter.

Naturally, the scoreline will take a backseat to the bigger picture, with Arne Slot primarily focused on improving fitness levels and experimenting with shape and selection. Nonetheless, the quality within Liverpool’s ranks could well prove decisive.

We’re predicting a 2-1 win for Liverpool.