Alvaro Morata and Paulo Fonseca send warning to Liverpool ahead of Champions League clash

Alvaro Morata aims to maintain his remarkable record against Liverpool as AC Milan prepare to face “one of the best teams in Europe.”

The Rossoneri will kick off their revamped Champions League campaign with a highly anticipated clash against their old European rivals at the San Siro on Tuesday evening.

Morata, now at Milan after a summer move from Atlético Madrid, has an impressive track record against Liverpool.

He has yet to lose to the Reds, securing two draws and a win during his time at Chelsea.

The Spain skipper also played a key role in Atlético Madrid’s victories over Liverpool in the 2019/20 Champions League, which ended the Reds’ reign as European champions.

With memories of the iconic 2005 and 2007 Champions League finals between the two clubs looming large, Alvaro Morata is eager for the upcoming rematch in what promises to be a thrilling European night.

“I have good memories in the past against Liverpool, but now a new chapter begins,” he said.

“We have the number seven on our sleeve, it’s a responsibility.

“We have to improve but there is a lot of quality in this team and we can grow.

“When I signed with this club I didn’t imagine I would play the first Champions League match against Liverpool at San Siro.

“It’s a match that in the past was worth a final, a game that made the history of this sport.

“We can’t wait to get on the pitch.”

Alvaro Morata added: “We have to believe and not be moody.

“We need to play with our ideas.

“If we don’t believe in it first, the people around us won’t believe it either.

“We still haven’t shown how strong we are as a team and our individual qualities.

“We all have an excellent career behind us, we are ready to win and show that we are top-level players.”

Seven-time Champions League winners AC Milan have only advanced past the group stage once in the past decade, when they reached the semi-finals two years ago.

Paulo Fonseca took over as head coach at San Siro this summer, replacing Stefano Pioli after a challenging season.

Despite a slow start in Serie A, Milan secured their first win of the campaign with a commanding 4-0 victory over bottom-placed Venezia on Saturday, following two draws and a defeat.

Although a full house is unlikely for their upcoming clash, with 20,000 tickets still available as of Monday morning for the 75,000-seat stadium, Fonseca has urged the home fans to create an intimidating atmosphere to unsettle Liverpool.

“I’m sure that the support of our fans will be felt,” said Fonseca.

“It’s always important for us, it was against Venezia: it’s fundamental against Liverpool, we’ll need to feel their love.

“Liverpool are one of the best teams in Europe, they have excellent positional play and great individuals. We will have to be a defensively perfect team to win this match.

“In the Champions League you can’t make any mistakes against this type of team, you will need a complete performance in defence to attack with stability.

“(Liverpool head coach Arne) Slot has recently arrived and the team has changed some elements: I don’t think there are many differences for now, they have characteristics in common, for example in the defensive set-up, compared to Klopp’s team.

“They are different on the wings but they restart on the counter-attack in a similar way.

“We can beat Liverpool and we want to do it.”

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