Diaz decision made, regular player dropped – Liverpool confirmed XI v AC Milan
Arne Slot has made two changes to his Liverpool starting XI to face AC Milan on Tuesday (17 September).
The Reds suffered their first defeat of the 2024/25 season in the 1-0 loss to Nottingham Forest at Anfield on Saturday (14 September).
Luis Diaz and Andy Robertson have been dropped to the bench for the first Champions League clash of the campaign, as announced by Liverpool via X, with Cody Gakpo and Kostas Tsimikas replacing the duo.
Cody Gakpo gets chance to impress for Liverpool
Slot has tweaked his side slightly ahead of the Reds’ return to Champions League football and he will be hoping to rectify the shock loss on the weekend with a winning return to Europe’s elite competition.
Tsimikas has been handed an unlikely start and will line up, as expected, alongside a defence of Virgil van Dijk, Ibrahima Konate and Trent Alexander-Arnold, with Alisson between the sticks.
The midfield remains unchanged with Ryan Gravenberch, Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai lining up alongside each other for the fifth time this season.
Diogo Jota is a surprise inclusion in the lineup given his recent woeful performances in front of goal. The forward will need to find the back of the net against AC Milan to keep his place for the match against Bournemouth on Saturday (21 September).
Another who has struggled this season, albeit off the bench, is Cody Gakpo. He lines up in place of Diaz and earns his first real chance to impress Slot, with Mohamed Salah on the opposite flank.
Federico Chiesa makes the matchday squad for the first time since his move from Juventus this summer and will be eager to make an impact against familiar opposition.
Liverpool and AC Milan boast 13 Champions League titles and are the second and third most decorated sides in the competition behind Real Madrid.
The loss against Nottingham Forest was a shocking setback for Slot and he must return to winning ways in the Champions League.
In other Liverpool news, a data expert has shared a ‘chaotic’ Darwin Nunez transfer verdict.
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