Liverpoolvs.Bologna

Arne Slot's first taste of European football on Merseyside comes after the Reds came from behind to sink AC Milan 3-1 at San Siro, while the Rossoblu held Shakhtar Donetsk to a respectable goalless draw on matchday one.

Match preview

Liverpool fighting back to beat AC Milan in the Champions League is nothing new, although the Reds did not need to produce an Istanbul-esque turnaround to overcome their 2005 and 2007 final foes on September 17, where Christian Pulisic drew first blood early doors.

Ibrahima Konate and Virgil van Dijk both capitalised on set-piece failings from the Rossoneri defence to quickly turn the tide in their favour, before the thigh of Dominik Szoboszlai completed a stellar Liverpool success midway through the second half.

That triumph over Paulo Fonseca's men marked the beginning of a four-game winning sequence for Slot's well-oiled machine, who replicated their 5-1 EFL Cup crushing of West Ham United from last year either side of Premier League successes over Bournemouth and Wolverhampton Wanderers.

Liverpool did not have it all their own way against the latter, but a Mohamed Salah spot kick ensured that the Reds would spend the weekend atop the Premier League standings thanks to Manchester City dropping points at Newcastle United, giving rise to an engrossing three-way title fight between Slot's side, the champions and Arsenal.

Leaving domestic matters behind for the time being, Liverpool have a magnificent continental streak to prolong on Wednesday; the Reds have won each of their last 10 European group stage/league phase matches at Anfield, netting at least twice in each of their last nine.

After Thiago Motta and co ended Bologna's 60-year exile from the top table of European football, the Rossoblu - whose last appearance in the European Cup came all the way back in the 1964-65 season - saw their burgeoning coach jump ship for an ailing Juventus.

Now under the wing of Vincenzo Italiano - who led Fiorentina to two Europa Conference League finals and one Coppa Italia final, albeit losing all of them - the Italian upstarts welcomed Shakhtar to a wet Dall'Ara two weeks ago and shook hands on a goalless draw with their Ukrainian counterparts.

Stalemates have been a theme for Wednesday's visitors since Italiano took over, as following the big-money exits of Joshua Zirkzee and Riccardo Calafiori to the Premier League, Bologna have unsurprisingly failed to replicate their extraordinary feats of 2023-24, only winning once in seven attempts thus far.

The Rossoblu could take immense pride from their last Serie A performance, though, as with 10 men for the most of the second half, they were moments away from edging out Europa League holders Atalanta BC, who were bailed out by a 90th-minute Lazar Samardzic equaliser in a 1-1 draw.

That two-goal affair marked a fourth stalemate from five for the solid yet unspectacular visitors, who reside in an unlucky 13th place in the Serie A table ahead of their first-ever competitive meeting with the six-time European champions.

Liverpool Champions League form:

W

Liverpool form (all competitions):

W

L

W

W

W

W

Bologna Champions League form:

D

Bologna form (all competitions):

L

D

D

D

W

D

Team News

Liverpool did not leave Molineux unscathed at the weekend, as Andy Robertson limped off following a heavy challenge from Carlos Forbs, although Slot does not think that the Scottish left-back is nursing a serious problem.

Robertson will still need close assessment before the visit of Bologna, which foot fracture victim Harvey Elliott is guaranteed to miss, but Darwin Nunez could be back after illness ruled him out of the win over Wolves.

Fresh from scoring the winner from 12 yards at the weekend, another slice of history is at stake for Salah, who could become the first-ever Liverpool player to score in five successive Champions League/European Cup matches at Anfield.

As for Bologna, the red card issued to defender Jhon Lucumi in the weekend's draw with Atalanta does not affect his availability for Wednesday's game, but a check will need to be made on striker Santiago Castro after he was forced off last time out.

The Italian outfit are already coping without ACL victim Lewis Ferguson, as well as fellow midfielders Tommaso Pobega and Oussama El Azzouzi, both of whom are on the mend from knee issues.

Should Castro not make the cut, Thijs Dallinga - a summer arrival from Toulouse - will lead the line, but the Dutchman is still waiting for his first direct involvement after five games for his new club.

Liverpool possible starting lineup:

Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Van Dijk, Konate, Tsimikas; Gravenberch, Mac Allister; Salah, Szoboszlai, Gakpo; Nunez

Bologna possible starting lineup:

Skorupski; Posch, Beukema, Lucumi, Lykogiannis; Aebischer, Moro, Freuler; Orsolini, Dallinga, Ndoye

We say: Liverpool 3-0 Bologna

Bologna had 17 shots on goal against Shakhtar while only facing one on target themselves - a Georgiy Sudakov penalty saved by Lukasz Skorupski - but the roles will almost certainly be reversed at a vibrant Anfield.

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