Liverpool vs AC Milan
Hong Kong’s Kai Tak Sports Park is open after 13 years in planning, and five years later than scheduled, but on Saturday it will host two of football’s greatest ever teams when Club Friendly: Liverpool vs AC Milan is the blockbuster clash at the 50,000 seater stadium.
This is the first football club match to be played at the stadium Kai Tak after it was christened on 10th June when Hong Kong beat India 1-0 in a 2027 AFC Asian Cup qualification clash. Liverpool and AC Milan will contest the Standard Chartered Trophy on the 20th anniversary of their epic Champions League final in 2005, which Liverpool won on penalties after coming back from a half time three goal deficit.
Liverpool and Milan have history and they are about to get it on again in the newest and shiniest stadium on the planet.
Liverpool’s new signings on show
Arne Slot took over from Jurgen Klopp as Liverpool manager little over 12 months ago and very few Reds fans could have dreamt just how well it would go. But the Dutch master worked wonders as his team stormed to the title in superb style, and the SBOTOP Premier League 2025 betting odds back them to do it again. So it’s no surprise the board at Anfield have backed their man and he has already strengthened significantly.
The Reds have been pursuing Newcastle United striker Alexander Isak recently, but without enough encouragement from the Swede they have moved to bring in Eintracht Frankfurt forward Hugo Etikite, a big and quick player who will fit perfectly in the Premier League. The Frenchman arrived in London on Tuesday for a medical and looks set to complete a £79m move which will bring Liverpool’s summer spending to a cool £300m. Etikite will be the Reds’ fifth big signing of the summer, the marquee capture being that of attacking midfielder Florian Wirtz from Bayer Leverkusen. He was followed from Germany by wingback Jeremie Frimpong, another flying fullback Milos Kerkez from Bournemouth and Georgian keeper Giorgi Mamardashvili from Valencia.
All four will be in the party for Hong Kong, as will midfield ace Alexis MacAllister and winger Luis Diaz, but there will be no sign of Federico Chiesa who the club says has an injury currently being assessed…but the Italian has been linked wit a move away from Anfield after just one season at the club.
Milan’s season of renewal
Among the Serie A big boys, Milan are the only ones without the distraction of European football next season, though their fans and club owners may not see it that way. With Napoli, Inter Milan, Atalanta and Juventus in the Champions League, AS Roma and Fiorentina in the Europa League and Lazio in the Conference League, all of I Rossoneri’s rivals with have much busier schedules. And new manager Max Allegri knows how to take advantage of any edge his teams have. In his first stint as Rossoneri manager he delivered the Scudetto in 2010 and he went on to win five more as manager of Juventus, where he also picked up five Coppa Italias. This is a manger who knows how to win and he is building a squad of players who will follow his philosophy of calmness and tactical intelligence with total commitment and a steely focus on the prize.
Serie A 2025 results is what Allegri is all about and he needs men on the pitch who can deliver week in, week out.
With European football off the agenda there was bound to be some players happy to leave, and forward Tijjani Reijdners has gone to Manchester City while wingback Theo Hernandez has signed for Al Hilal, managed by former Inter Milan head coach Simone Inzaghi. Through the in door there was the eye-catching signing of Croatia and Real Madrid legend Luka Modric and another couple of smart recruits.
23 year old midfielder Samuele Ricci has arrived from Torino and he looks to be a superb signing. After winning Player of the Season at his first club Empoli he signed for Il Toro where he played 106 matches in three campaigns as well as picking up ten Italy caps. At the other end of his career 35 year old goalkeeper Pietro Terracciano has arrived from Fiorentina and he’ll be a fine back-up for club captain Mike Maignan.
Modric won’t be lining up against Liverpool as he, alongside Mexican forward Santiago Gimenez, is not in the camp but there will be plenty of stars on show. In front of Ricci, Allegri is likely to field a strong creative unit, led by USA star Christian Pulisic and with Rafael Leao, Yunus Musah and Alexis Saelemaekers all capable of winning matches with their own individual skills. At the other end of the pitch Allegri will build his rearguard around a centre back partnership of Fikayo Tomori and Matteo Gabbia, in front of Maignan, and we could see the majority of his Serie A starting line-up in Hong Kong.
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