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Liverpool and Mohamed Salah are on the verge of achieving specific Champions League landmarks.
The Reds take on AC Milan at the San Siro on Tuesday evening. Jurgen Klopp’s men sit top of Group B ahead of the final game. They have won all five of their matches so far.
But should they win the match against the Italian side, they will become the first English club to win all six games of a Champions League group stage.
It is a record that Klopp will certainly want to achieve, but it looks set to be a big ask given the circumstances. He is set to name a much-changed side, with several first-team regulars expected to be rested.
Moreover, Milan are still in with a chance to finish in second place. They must win the game, but are also relying on a result between Porto and Atletico Madrid. And finally, the Serie A side are also in form. They have won their last two, helping push them to the top of the standings in Italy.
Special season for Salah
Liverpool forward Salah is also chasing two records of his own. He can set a new club record for goals scored in the group stage of a European competition with a goal in Milan. His total of six so far is level with Roberto Firmino’s six in 2017/18.
— Mohamed Salah (@MoSalah) December 2, 2021
The star attacker could also become the first Liverpool player to score in five group games of the same European campaign. He netted in the home meetings with Milan and Porto, as well as scoring twice in the away matches with Porto and Atletico Madrid.
In a stunning season so far, the Egyptian has bagged 19 goals in 20 appearances. Six of those have arrived in the Champions League. The other 13 have come in the Premier League. He is the league’s leading scorer, four ahead of Jamie Vardy in second. The winger also has nine assists this season.
Changes expected
As mentioned, several big-name players are expected to have the evening off. And that could include Salah. Klopp has already explained that he will definitely rotate his squad for the European encounter.
The Reds will play a total of nine matches in December. So resting key players for games like this one is a given at such a high level. The likes of Divock Origi, Neco Williams, Kostas Tsimikas, Tyler Morton and Takumi Minamino could all start.
“We want to field the best possible side for the situation we are in,” Klopp said in his pre-match press conference, as reported by the Liverpool website. “We played five games in the last 14 or 15 days, which is a lot, and after the Milan game again pretty much the same number of games in a similar amount of time. So we have to make the right decisions and we will.”
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