Champions League matchday 1: AC Milan vs Liverpool betting preview

The Champions League returns this week with 36 teams now in the competition. To kick things off on Tuesday, AC Milan will welcome Premier League giants Liverpool to the San Siro for a matchday one encounter. The fixture is set to begin at 3 PM ET. Milan was runners-up in Serie A last term but they’re off to a disappointing 1-2-1 start in league action. As for the Reds, they finished in third place in 2023-24 and have compiled a 3-0-1 record thus far in domestic play. 

Head-to-head info

Between the two, there are 13 European titles. Six for Liverpool and seven for Milan. They’ve met four times in the competition, with the Reds winning on three occasions. Their most famous victory came in the 2005 Champions League Final when the English outfit overcame a three-goal deficit to lift the grand prize in Istanbul.

AC Milan

New manager Paulo Fonseca hasn’t exactly thrived since taking over in the San Siro dugout, with Milan struggling to find results. They hadn’t won a game until Saturday when the Rossoneri thrashed Venezia 4-0. The damage was done early with Theo Hernandez, Youssouf Fofana, Christian Pulisic, and Tammy Abraham all hitting the back of the net by the 29th minute.

Venezia scored one of their own late in the second half but it was too little too late. Before the victory, it was 2-2 draws with Torino and Lazio while suffering a defeat to Parma on matchday two. Milan is currently in ninth place in the Serie A standings but of course, it’s still very early in the campaign.

When it comes to the Champions League, the Rossoneri bowed out in the group stages last season in a pod with Newcastle, PSG, and Borussia Dortmund. They ultimately fell into Europa and lost across two legs in the quarterfinals to Italian rivals, Roma. However, Milan was a UCL semifinalist in 2022-23, falling to Inter Milan. The visitors are an underdog for Tuesday’s opener at soccer betting sites.

Liverpool

The Merseysiders make their return to the Champions League after competing in Europa last term where they exited earlier than expected against Atalanta. That being said, Liverpool is one of the most successful clubs in this competition, winning it all six times. Their latest triumph came in 2019 against Spurs in an all-England final.

Liverpool is now in a different era though with Arne Slot at the helm, their new Dutch boss. He’s done a solid job so far, with the side winning their first three games. However, Saturday resulted in a shocking defeat to Nottingham Forest, one that Slot was critical of. Callum Hudson-Odoi’s 72nd-minute goal proved to be the difference-maker and that was actually the first time Liverpool had conceded in 2024-25.

The Reds have bagged six goals in the process but were toothless in the final third on matchday four despite a plethora of opportunities. They also controlled 70% of the possession. Now, the focus shifts to Tuesday, and Liverpool will have fond memories of their two group stage victories against Milan a couple of years ago. They’ve also never lost at the San Siro. The visitors are a -110 favorite for this clash at Sports Interaction.