The famous European nights with a capacity crowd are back at Anfield for the first time in 553 days.

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Liverpool face European giants, AC Milan for the first time ever in a competitive fixture on Merseyside.

The two clubs have met twice before, both in UEFA Champions League finals. Istanbul was Liverpool’s night, but the Rossoneri exacted their revenge two years later in the Greek city of Athens.

The European pedigree is clear for the world to see. Two kings of the game face off for bragging rights under the glorious Anfield lights.

Liverpool have started the season as brightly as they could have hoped, possessing an unbeaten record reading three wins and one draw. Mohamed Salah looks to have picked up from where he left off last season and is in fine form coming in to the game.

AC Milan have bettered the Reds’ start after winning all three of their opening Serie A games. Rafael Leão has looked every bit the player the Rossoneri hoped they'd signed after splashing out £26.55m on the Portuguese youth international back in 2019.  

  • Team News

Liverpool will be without their Brazilian talisman Roberto Firmino after the Reds’ number 9 picked up a hamstring injury against Chelsea before the International break.

Harvey Elliot dislocated his ankle and damaged the surrounding ligaments after Pascal Struijk’s rash challenge in Liverpool’s 3-0 win over Leeds on Sunday. Elliot had been a breakout star for the Reds this season, but it is thought his injury will keep him out until after the new year.

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Takumi Minamino is back training for Liverpool after picking up a knock away with Japan on International duty and could well play a part tonight.

For AC Milan, Zlatan Ibrahimovic has been ruled out of the evenings game after injuring his Achilles tendon. The Swedish forward made his comeback after being out with an injury for the past 4-months this past weekend and managed to score the second and final goal against Lazio but unfortunately, the Achilles injury has added another blow to the ex-Manchester United striker’s hope of getting back to his best aged 39.

Chelsea loanee Tiemoué Bakayoko is also out after picking up an ankle injury over the weekend.

  • Officiating

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Referee: Szymon Marciniak
Assistant referees: Paweł Sokolnicki, Tomasz Listkiewicz
Fourth official: Tomasz Musiał
VAR: Tomasz Kwiatkowski, Bastian Dankert (GER)

  • Previous meeting

The last time the two clubs met competitively was some 14 years ago when AC Milan were triumphant in the 2007 UEFA Champions League Final in Athens.

A brace from Filippo Inzaghi denied the Reds a second Champions League title in three seasons after beating the Milan club on penalties in 2005, a game many describe as the greatest comeback in footballing history after finding themselves 3-0 in the first half in Istanbul. 

  • How to watch

The UEFA Champions League is exclusively available on BT Sport in the UK. 

Coverage for the game begins at 7pm UK on BT Sport 2.

That is SKY channel 414 and Virgin channel 532.