Liverpool vs AC Milan: Live score, team news and updates as Florian Wirtz makes his first start - while Luis Diaz and Darwin Nunez are EXCLUDED from squad

LEWIS STEELE:

Believe that the Joe Gomez absence is due to the fact the Englishman has flown home with a minor Achilles injury.

He's played 11 minutes since December and that is worrying. Alexis Mac Allister is back in full training after a bit of an eased start to pre-season and, all being well, will feature in the Japan leg of the tour.

Wataru Endo had a bit of an illness in recent days so misses out. As for Luis Diaz and Darwin Nunez, that might be one for Arne Slot after the game...

The death of Diogo Jota is still being acutely felt and mourned.

Though the world marches on, and Liverpool have to dust themselves down and show a brave face, it is right of them to make sure they properly remember Jota, so often a symbol of joy when he played.

Here are some of their plans to remember him, as announced by the club.

Alongside the highly impressive 16-year-old Rio Ngumoha, two other youngsters are getting their moment in the spotlight, writes LEWIS STEELE.

It looks like there's a little bit of a bromance going on between Dominik Szoboszlai and Milos Kerkez.

Here's the duo working their way through what looks like some elaborate greeting routine.

Both play for the Hungarian national team despite the fact that £40million signing Kerkez was born in Serbia.

The queue is long to get into the 50,000-capacity Kai Tak stadium in Hong Kong.

At least the weather is better than yesterday, where fans took umbrellas to watch AC Milan train at the Hong Kong Stadium.

Today appears to be a step too far for Hugo Ekitike as he has been left out of the matchday squad.

Liverpool confirmed his £79million arrival from Eintracht Frankfurt on Wednesday.

Slot isn't always a man to rush in his newbies - he left WIrtz out against Preston earlier this month - so no need to panic just yet.

Our reporter Lewis Steele brings us this dispatch from Hong Kong:

In all its glory, here is Liverpool's starting 11 to take on the Italians.

A mixture of youth and experience from Arne Slot, but you might notice two extremely notable absences...

Hello and welcome to Mail Sport's live blog of Liverpool vs AC Milan, which kicks off in just under an hour.

And it's an especially exciting day for Reds fans, who will finally get a first look at Florian Wirtz after he joined from Bayer Leverkusen in a deal rising to £116million.