Liverpool is set to face AC Milan in the Champions League on Tuesday, but there’s a chance that the match could be played amid thousands of empty seats.
The Reds are kicking off their league phase campaign with a visit to San Siro – a stadium they haven’t been defeated at since 1965. Arne Slot’s players have had an impeccable start to their Premier League season, winning all three of their opening matches. They’ve yet to let in a single goal and will return to action post-international break when they host Nottingham Forest at Anfield this Saturday.
The situation is starkly different for AC Milan. The appointment of Paulo Fonseca as head coach has left many supporters disgruntled, and the team’s performance hasn’t helped, failing to secure a win in their first three games and only managing to scrape together two points out of a possible nine.
This dissatisfaction seems to have seeped into ticket sales for the home game against Liverpool. While over 70,000 fans are expected to attend the Serie A match against Venezia on Saturday night, a whopping 19,000 tickets remain unsold for the clash with Slot’s Reds, as reported by Tuttosport via Radio Rossonera. The San Siro can accommodate 75,923 spectators, but it doesn’t look like they’ll be anywhere near that number for the Reds’ visit.
There are a few key reasons behind the sluggish ticket sales. SempreMilan suggests that there’s a distinct lack of enthusiasm for the season, largely due to Fonseca’s appointment at the start of the campaign. Milan’s performance has been less than stellar, with a 2-2 draw against Torino in its first Serie A match, followed by a loss at Parma and a draw at Lazio. The team has managed to net five goals across these games… but has also let in six.
Ticket prices for the Liverpool game are significantly higher. The remaining tickets for the match – excluding hospitality seats – range from €349 ($387) to €59 ($65). To put this into perspective, the most expensive regular adult seat at Liverpool for a Champions League match this season is £61 ($80).
The steep ticket prices, coupled with the poor start to the Serie A season, have led fans to opt out of attending the Liverpool match. While there are always some fans who leave it until the last minute to decide whether to attend, the current outlook isn’t promising.
