Liverpool face Inter Milan in a make-or-break Champions League clash at the San Siro tonight, but the Reds will do so without Mohamed Salah after the Egyptian star was dropped from the squad following his explosive weekend rant against manager Arne Slot, compounding a mounting injury crisis that has left the team scrambling for survival in the competition.
Salah, who accused the club of abandoning him in a shocking beIN Sports interview following Saturday’s chaotic 3-3 draw with Leeds United, was absent from the 19-man travelling party that landed in Italy on Monday afternoon.
“I’ve done everything for this club, carried us to the title last year, and now I’m benched with no explanation. Someone wants me out,” the 33-year-old fumed, hinting at a possible January exit to Saudi Arabia amid stalled contract talks.
Slot, in a terse pre-match press conference alongside Alisson Becker, confirmed the omission as a “short-term internal matter” but refused to rule out a permanent rift, saying the focus must remain on the pitch.
Liverpool injuries and suspensions against Inter Milan
Liverpool’s woes run deeper than the Salah saga. Forward Cody Gakpo is sidelined for up to two weeks with a hamstring strain picked up in training, while new signing Federico Chiesa remains a major doubt after tweaking his ankle during the Leeds game.
Jeremie Frimpong, the £30 million summer arrival from Bayer Leverkusen, is out with a hamstring issue, and young defender Giovanni Leoni nurses a knee ligament tear that could sideline him until the new year.
Conor Bradley and Dominik Szoboszlai, who received yellow cards in the 2-1 victory over PSV Eindhoven last week, are also out due to suspension, compounding the injury. Wataru Endo also stayed behind due to fitness concerns, leaving Slot with a threadbare attack and just 19 players to choose from.
The Reds sit precariously 13th in the revamped 36-team Champions League league phase after five games, with only seven points from a possible 15. A win tonight is non-negotiable if Liverpool hope to claw into the top eight and secure automatic qualification for the round of 16.
Currently one point adrift of the playoff spots, failure to beat Inter could relegate them to the dreaded knockout playoff round against teams from the Europa League, a fate Slot described as “unacceptable for a club of our pedigree.”
Their form has been dismal: just two goals from 44 shots in the last two European outings, including a humiliating 4-0 loss to PSV where they mustered 27 efforts but converted none.
Inter Milan Injuries and suspensions
Inter Milan, by contrast, arrives as a red-hot favourite. No major injuries for Inter Milan. The Nerazzurri top their section with 12 points from five matches, unbeaten at home in 18 Champions League games dating back to 2022.
Under Simone Inzaghi, they boast a lethal attack led by Lautaro Martinez, who has netted eight goals in five San Siro European appearances this season alone. The Italians will look to exploit Liverpool’s disarray, with Hakan Calhanoglu pulling the strings in midfield and Marcus Thuram providing pace on the break. Bookmakers have Inter at 1.80 odds to win, with a 2-0 scoreline the most predicted outcome.
Inter Milan VS Liverpool Head-to-Head
History offers a sliver of hope for the visitors. Liverpool hold a commanding 4-2 edge in the head-to-head, including clean-sheet triumphs on their last two San Siro visits: a 1-0 group stage win in November 2018 courtesy of a Joel Matip header, and a 2-0 quarter-final second-leg victory in April 2022 that propelled Jurgen Klopp’s side to the final.
No current Red has scored against Inter, but Virgil van Dijk marshalled those shutouts at the back, and he will need to summon that steel tonight against Martinez’s movement. Overall, the fixture has produced just five goals in six meetings, underscoring the tactical cat-and-mouse games that define these Anglo-Italian clashes.
Liverpool line-up against Inter Milan
Slot is expected to hand a rare start to 19-year-old Ben Doak on the right wing, with Hugo Ekitike leading the line alongside Alexander Isak and Florian Wirtz, while Rio Ngumoha is on the bench. Joe Gomez slots in at right-back for the suspended Bradley, partnering Van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate in a patched-up defence.
Midfield maestro Alexis Mac Allister will captain the side in Szoboszlai’s absence, tasked with feeding creative sparks like Florian Wirtz, Liverpool’s £115 million German sensation who has dazzled in flashes but struggled for consistency.
“We go to Milan to fight, not fold,” Slot insisted, drawing on his Feyenoord days where he masterminded upsets against bigger sides. Yet whispers in the camp suggest morale is at a low ebb, with senior players like Andy Robertson urging unity behind closed doors.
For Inter, victory would all but seal a top-eight finish and avenge those past San Siro heartbreaks. Inzaghi, speaking to gathered media, dismissed Liverpool’s turmoil as “irrelevant noise” but admitted respecting their counter-attacking threat.
“They are champions for a reason. Without Salah, they adapt. We prepare for fire, not fireworks,” the 49-year-old said. The match kicks off at 9pm local time (8pm GMT), broadcast live on TNT Sports in the UK and Paramount+ in the US, with an expected crowd of 75,000 packing the iconic stadium under the Milanese floodlights.
As the clock ticks toward kickoff, this clash transcends mere points. For Liverpool, it’s a referendum on Slot’s reign amid a season spiralling out of control, their Premier League title defence already derailed by eight defeats in 15 games.
For Salah, watching from Merseyside, it might be the final twist in a saga that could end one of Anfield’s greatest chapters. Inter smell blood, but the ghosts of 2018 and 2022 remind everyone: in the San Siro, Liverpool have a habit of rising when the lights burn brightest. Tonight, with their backs truly against the wall, the Reds must rediscover that fire or risk an early European exit that would haunt them into 2026.
