A Liverpool fan was killed in a road accident in Italy ahead of Tuesday’s Champions League clash with AC Milan, the Premier League club said.

“We are deeply saddened by the tragic passing of our supporter Philip Dooley, following a road traffic accident in Bergamo in the early hours of this (Tuesday) morning,” said Liverpool in a statement.

Liverpool did not say how old Dooley was when he died, nor give details of the accident.

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Italian media report that Dooley was a 51-year-old Irishman and that he was killed at around 1am local time (2300 GMT Monday), an hour after landing at Bergamo’s Orio al Serio airport while trying to cross a nearby motorway.

Liverpool face Milan at the San Siro on Tuesday night in the Reds’ first match in the revamped Champions League.