Amid turmoil on and off the pitch, Liverpool head into a daunting Champions League night at the San Siro on Tuesday, where Inter Milan await in league-phase action. The Reds sit 13th with nine points from their first five games, while Inter approach the contest after suffering their first defeat of the campaign on matchday five.
Liverpool’s European journey has been a rollercoaster. From the high of beating long-time rivals Real Madrid to the low of being humbled 4-1 at Anfield by PSV Eindhoven, the Reds have encountered every emotion this season. That heavy defeat equalled a 96-year-old unwanted record, marking Liverpool’s third home loss by at least three goals in the same campaign — something not seen since 1929-30 — and has left them outside the top-eight qualification spots.
Optimists may look to the team’s three-game unbeaten run since the PSV humiliation, yet even that offers little comfort. A 2-0 win over West Ham failed to spark a domestic revival, as shown by disappointing draws against newly-promoted Sunderland and Leeds United. In Saturday’s chaotic 3-3 draw with Leeds, Liverpool conceded a 96th-minute equaliser, and the drama only escalated when unused substitute Mohamed Salah accused the club of throwing him “under the bus” and revealed that his relationship with Arne Slot had completely broken down.
Despite mounting pressure, Liverpool’s hierarchy have so far refused to sack Slot, but the rift with Salah has cast serious doubt over the Egyptian’s future. Whether he plays or sits on the bench in Milan, his presence alone may still offer some support as Liverpool chase a fourth consecutive European win over Italian opposition — a task made all the more difficult by their inconsistent form.
Inter Milan, meanwhile, approach the fixture from a far more stable position. Their 2-1 defeat at Atletico Madrid, sealed only in stoppage time, was disappointing but nowhere near as alarming as Liverpool’s collapse against PSV. Before that loss, Inter had been perfect in the competition, comfortably defeating Kairat, Union SG, Slavia Prague and Ajax. Their strong run places them fourth in the league-phase standings, level with Bayern Munich, Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid, and three points behind leaders Arsenal.
Since the Atletico setback, Cristian Chivu’s side have been ruthless domestically, sweeping aside their last three opponents in Serie A and the Coppa Italia by an aggregate score of 11-1, including a 4-0 demolition of Como at the weekend.
Liverpool’s most recent visit to San Siro brought a 2-0 win in 2022, but the current context is very different. Inter have won 10 of their last 11 Champions League home league-phase/group games and look well placed to extend that record. With Liverpool mired in crisis and Inter in commanding form, the Italian giants enter Tuesday’s clash as strong favourites to compound the Reds’ problems.
INJURIES & SUSPENSIONS
All attention quickly turned to Mohamed Salah when Liverpool’s travelling squad was announced — and the Egyptian’s name was nowhere to be found. His omission came despite a handful of unexpected attacking absences elsewhere in the squad.
Conor Bradley made his return from a muscular issue in the draw with Leeds, leaving Jeremie Frimpong (hamstring) and Giovanni Leoni (ACL) as Liverpool’s only known injury concerns. However, Cody Gakpo, Wataru Endo and Federico Chiesa have all been left behind for the trip to Milan.
Bradley’s domestic suspension does not apply in Europe, meaning he could keep his place at right-back. That possibility may also prompt Joe Gomez to replace the out-of-form Ibrahima Konate at centre-back.
Inter, meanwhile, might be forced into a defensive reshuffle of their own. Cristiano Chivu revealed that Manuel Akanji has been dealing with illness, which could open the door for Francesco Acerbi to start in the heart of defence.
The hosts remain without Matteo Darmian (calf) and Denzel Dumfries (ankle), while centre-back Tomas Palacios (hamstring) and backup goalkeeper Raffaele Di Gennaro (scaphoid) are also sidelined.
Up front, Lautaro Martínez enters Tuesday’s clash in superb form. After scoring his 11th goal of the season against Como, the Argentine has now found the net in five consecutive Champions League home games for Inter and is expected to partner Marcus Thuram once again.
POSSIBLE LINE-UPS
Inter Milan possible starting lineup:
Sommer; Acerbi, Bisseck, Bastoni; Augusto, Zielinski, Barella, Calhanoglu, Dimarco; Thuram, Martinez
Liverpool possible starting lineup:
Alisson; Bradley, Gomez, Van Dijk, Robertson; Gravenberch, Jones; Szoboszlai, Wirtz, Ekitike; Isak
EXPERT PREDICTION
Inter 2-1 Liverpool
