The UEFA Champions League returns this week, with AC Milan hosting Liverpool at the San Siro on Tuesday in the final round of the group stages.
AC Milan began picking up points in their Champions League run in the fourth round of the competition and will be hoping to secure all three points from this tie. Three straight losses in their first three games were followed by a 1-1 draw over Porto and a 1-0 win over Atletico Madrid. AC Milan sit third in the group table with four points. While a win may not guarantee them advancement into the knockout stages, it would guarantee at least a place in the Europa League.
The above visual shows us the xT creation zones for Milan from their previous clash against Atletico Madrid. Milan had higher xT creation zones on the left flank in the final third and were more effective while attacking from those areas. Franck Kessie had the highest xT from his passes and completed 93.22% of his passes.
Both teams have a high number of recoveries that they have completed in the middle third. The midfielders from both squads are great runners and can recover most of the loose balls. Milan have completed 171 recoveries in the middle third so far, while Liverpool have completed 165.
Liverpool have already secured a spot in the knockout stages and were one of the very first teams to do so this season. They have won all five of their games so far and have guaranteed a top-of-the-table finish. Liverpool have now won five on the bounce in all tournaments and have scored eight goals from their two away games in Group B so far.
The above visual shows us the xT creation zones for Liverpool from their previous clash against Porto. Liverpool were most threatening when they attacked from the left flank as they had better xT creation zones on the left side of the pitch. Their midfielders had a very high xT from their passes and created several chances for their attackers.
Liverpool have been one of the most threatening teams when moving into the final third. They have also been performing well defensively. They have an average PPDA of 7.380, which indicates that Liverpool don’t allow much time to their opponents on the ball. They keep pressing higher up the pitch, and win back the ball most times when they attempt a defensive action. This can create a problem for the Italian giants.
AC Milan need a win on Tuesday to have any hope of qualification. They go into the game in fairly good form with three wins from their last five games and will be hoping to get the job done. Liverpool have already qualified for the last 16 of the tournament. Jurgen Klopp could therefore take the chance to rotate his starting XI after using the same team for back-to-back games.
AC Milan predicted starting lineup:
Maignan, Kalulu, Tomori, Romagnoli, Hernandez, Kessie, Tonali, Saelemaekers, Diaz, Krunic, Ibrahimovic.
Liverpool predicted starting lineup:
Alisson, Williams, Konate, Van Dijk, Tsimikas, Morton, Henderson, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Salah, Origi, Minamino.
