AC MILAN VS LIVERPOOL: PREVIEW

The Reds are back in action tomorrow afternoon when they take on reigning Serie A champions AC Milan in the Dubai Super Cup. Jürgen Klopp’s men lost to Lyon on Sunday night and will aim to sign off their Dubai training camp with victory.

With the resumption of club action just a week away (Liverpool travel to the Etihad next Thursday), it’s now crunch time. The squad available to the manager during this camp will form the crux of the lineup in that Carabao Cup fourth round fixture against Manchester City.

Of the Reds’ World Cup contingent, Darwin Nunez is the only one available to face the Rossonneri tomorrow. The 23 year old joined up with his teammates earlier this week following Uruguay’s group stage exit at the World Cup.

We can expect him to feature tomorrow as he seeks to pick up straight where he left off. Darwin was directly involved in six goals (5 goals, 1 assist) in his last seven appearances preceding the World Cup break.

With Luis Diaz ruled out for a further three months, Liverpool will need their big money signing to keep delivering. Elsewhere, the rest of the squad will be handed more minutes. Twenty three players were involved against Lyon but we can expect that number to drop tomorrow.

Milan meanwhile will be taking in their third mid-season friendly tomorrow. Pioli’s men beat Lumezzane 3-2 before going down 2-1 to Arsenal on Tuesday. Beloved Liverpool hero, Divock Origi, was involved in both matches and is set for a romantic reunion.

Origi spent eight years on Liverpool’s books (spending two of those years on loan at Lille and then later Wolfsburg). The Belgian wrote himself into Liverpool folklore with some big goals on the biggest occasions. He is sure to receive a rousing ovation from the fans at the Al-Maktoum stadium.

The likes of Fikayo Tomori, Sandro Tonali, Ismael Bennacer, Brahim Diaz, Ante Rebic etc are all available, with Pioli set to name as strong an XI as possible. Milan should hand the Reds a competitive game, just as Lyon did on Sunday. Hopefully Klopp’s men earn a victory this time round.