It’s been a difficult few days for Liverpool – but there’s every chance Arne Slot’s players can turn things around on Tuesday.
The Reds take on AC Milan in their opening Champions League game of the campaign, with the contest taking place at the San Siro. Liverpool is in need of a victory after its surprise home defeat to Nottingham Forest in the Premier League on Saturday.
A win in Italy will help restore belief to Slot’s group, and one player should be confident of finding the net. Darwin Nunez, who is yet to start a competitive game under Slot, scored two goals when Liverpool faced Milan in December 2022.
Mohamed Salah opened the scoring in the friendly in Dubai before Alexis Saelemaekers equalized for Milan. Thiago Alcantara restored Liverpool’s lead just before the break, with Nunez scoring a late brace to cap off an impressive 4-1 victory. The two teams then took part in a penalty shootout after that, which Milan won 4-3.
Nunez deserves a start under Slot to show what he can do, and many Liverpool fans hope that opportunity will come on Tuesday. Slot will celebrate his 46th birthday on the day of the game and insists his players aren’t “scared” of Milan – but there is “respect”.
Slot said: “I think it is the first time my birthday is not important for tomorrow, it’s a big game for me and because of the history these two teams have, the venue, it’s one to look forward to. I don’t think any manager is scared to play the other team but we have a lot of respect for AC Milan. They have quality, we’re not scared but we respect all their players.
“They have shown they are in good form with a very good 4-0 win (against Venezia on Saturday). Scared is not the word we would use. We respect (Milan) a lot.”
