We think it’s fair to say that most Spurs fans will not be surprised to hear that Emerson’s move to Milan has thus far proved problematic for both player and club alike. He repeatedly finds himself exposed defensively and is an unreliable participant in the buildup play.

Subsequently, it’s not a huge surprise that the Brazilian has averaged 1.97 fouls per 90 so far for the Rossoneri. He’s sinned at least once in each of his three games, most recently slipping up twice against Venezia despite coasting to a 4-0 win.

He played an hour of football against Liverpool last season under Ange Postecoglou, committing two fouls in the process.

Theo Hernandez has started two games so far this season, playing the full 90 on both occasions and drawing two fouls in each. A mix of tactical and disciplinary motivations likely led to him being kept out of the starting XI for the other two games but he’s now made amends and is gunning to impress on the grand stage as he perhaps considers seeking a route out of Milan.

He tends to be reliable in the fouls drawn market and this season’s average of 1.57 fouls drawn per 90 is far from an outlier. In fact, the Frenchman has surpassed that figure in each of his five Serie A campaigns for Milan.

Under Arne Slot, backing Liverpool players to commit fouls has been more profitable than in previous seasons. They’re currently averaging 12.5 per game. Mohamed Salah, who Hernandez will likely line up against, has contributed significantly to this average, already committing five fouls this season.

Despite AC Milan’s slow start to the season, Reijnders has consistently delivered in the shots market. Over his four appearances, he’s averaged 2.48 shots per 90 minutes, making him a strong option in this department.

The Dutch midfielder isn’t shy about shooting from distance, with five of his seven Serie A attempts coming from outside the box – an important asset against a typically possession-oriented side like Liverpool who try to keep Milan’s chances to a minimum and force them to shoot from distance.

Tijjani Reijnders also impressed over the international break for the Netherlands, racking up six shots across his two Nations League games.

Diogo Jota has played an important role in Liverpool’s broadly free-flowing attack which has created more expected goals than any other Premier League side. He’s been given the nod to play upfront in each of his games with Darwin Nunez largely subject to the bench.

Jota has started five games for club and country so far this season, firing off at least three shots in four of them. Last season he finished the Premier League season with an average of over 3.2 shots per 90 but nonetheless given Milan’s unpredictability, we think two shots is a better benchmark to play it safe.

From what we’ve seen of them so far under Paulo Fonseca, Liverpool and Jota can expect ample opportunities to rack up shots and chances throughout the 90. Milan have already conceded six goals and at times look very open at the back, especially when pressing. Summer signing, Emerson has in particular proven himself to be a liability and Liverpool will look to take advantage of his rash defending on Tuesday.

Until last weekend’s disappointing defeat to Nottingham Forest, people were beginning to treat Liverpool as realistic title-challengers. As of now, they top the league for expected goals and expected points, comfortably in front of the likes of Man City and Arsenal.

They’ve managed to build a squad with a lot of depth, especially in the attacking department with Salah, Diogo Jota, Darwin Nunez, Luis Diaz and Cody Gakpo all competing for three places. This will come in handy with fixtures starting to condense as the EFL Cup and UCL kick-off.

Milan on the other hand have had a nightmare start to their Serie A campaign. Having picked up just five points in four games, it already looks like Paulo Fonseca is in danger of losing the dressing room with star players Rafael Leao and Hernandez both refusing to partake in Milan’s water break after they were benched for their clash with Lazio.

Although Milan did turn it around, beating Venezia 4-0, it’s important to note that they were at home to a newly-promoted side who sit rock bottom of Serie A. It’s likely Liverpool will outclass them on all fronts and they’re well-merited favourites.

As is typical to say the least of Salah, the Egyptian has got off to a fast start this season, racking up six goal contributions in his first four games. Half of those came against Man United who on paper, were supposed to be Liverpool’s toughest match. As such he’s unlikely to be phased by the event nor the calibre of opposition, particularly given Milan’s troublesome start.

Milan’s defence has been particularly weak, having conceded two goals in three of their first four matches and just under 6 xG in total. That’s despite not having the toughest of fixtures, facing off against two newly promoted sides alongside Lazio and Torino.

Last season Salah was a class act in the Europa League, averaging over 1.8 goal contributions and 1.31 xG+A per game. He is of course no stranger to the Champions League either, having racked up 8 goals and 2 assists in the competition the season before.

Paulo Fonseca is expected to stick with the same winning formula that prevailed against Venezia in their 4-0 thrashing last Saturday. It involved Tammy Abraham starting in place of summer signing Alvaro Morata who may have to settle for a position on the bench on this occasion.

The Englishman got his name on the scoresheet, notably from an early penalty which could also be beneficial should they draw one against Liverpool. It was his third shot on target of the season despite having only clocked 94 minutes.

In his last full Serie A season, Tammy Abraham accumulated 30 shots on target, averaging 1.23 per 90. He should now be back to his best having finally recovered from the ACL tear that saw him out for so long.

Having once been considered one of the world’s top wingers, Leao had a slightly disappointing season by his standards last year and needs to bounce back, particularly given his pretty apparent desire to leave Milan.

He’s started the season off quickly with three goal contributions and four shots on target, all in under 270 minutes.

He also may well find some joy exploiting the space behind Trent Alexander-Arnold when he pushes forward, and most likely would back himself in a 1 v 1 situation. His pace in particular will surely cause issues for the English right back.

Liverpool have conceded three shots on target in each of their last two games and failed to suffocate Nottingham Forest in the way they would have hoped. If Milan’s dramatic resurgence against Venezia is anything to go by, Leao should get a few chances.