The stage is set in Kowloon City, where Liverpool and AC Milan will lock horns this Saturday at the 50,000-seat Kai Tak Sports Park in a pre-season meeting brimming with history.
Milan’s Far East tour began earlier in the week, but this fixture will be just Liverpool’s third summer outing. The Reds arrive in high spirits after emphatic wins over Preston North End (3-1) and Stoke City (5-0), intent on building momentum for the 2025–26 campaign.
Arne Slot, fresh off a title-winning debut season, is stamping his authority with ambitious signings. Hugo Ekitike joins Milos Kerkez, Jeremie Frimpong, and record signing Florian Wirtz in a squad blending Klopp’s legacy with Slot’s vision. Wirtz is expected to feature for the first time in red.
Liverpool’s history with Milan is legendary—two Champions League finals in 2005 and 2007, with each side victorious once. Since then, the Reds have dominated the matchup, winning all six meetings in both friendlies and competitive fixtures, including last season’s 3-1 triumph at San Siro.
Milan, meanwhile, endured a forgettable season despite lifting the Supercoppa Italiana. An eighth-place league finish leaves them without European football.
Team news sees Liverpool’s big guns—Van Dijk, Salah, and Alisson—available after missing earlier games. Milan’s Rafael Leao is still present despite transfer speculation, but Santiago Gimenez is a doubt.
Predicted XIs:
Liverpool — Mamardashvili; Frimpong, Konate, Gomez, Kerkez; Gravenberch, Endo, Jones; Salah, Nunez, Ngumoha.
Milan — Terracciano; Tomori, Thiaw, Pavlovic; Saelemaekers, Ricci, Musah, Loftus-Cheek, Chukwueze; Leao, Okafor.
Prediction: Expect a competitive but open match, with the Premier League champions trying several things afresh to a 2-2 draw.