If you want to compare equivalent's it's:
AC Milan - Liverpool
Juventus - Man Utd
Eh!
Ask any Italian who the team "everyone loves to hate" is and you'll only get one response. To compare them to Liverpool is weird beyond belief. I mean, Milan - the financial capital of Italy, with a political leaning to (very) right. Whilst not currently owned by Berlusconi (corrupt tax-dodging underage prozi shagging political scumbag), he basically created the behemoth that they became during the 80s and 90s, using the power of his media empire and influence to drag them out of obscurity as the original football-club play-thing.
I might be wrong but my understanding was that Inter and Juventus are the two sides with support throughout Italy, whereas the others (even Milan) are all primarily local phenomena. Hence the Derby dell’Italia is Inter-Juve.
So strictly those two are probably the Liverpool and Man Utd of italy, good luck picking one of them to identify with.
Nah, Milan got all the band-wagoners when they got super-charged by Silvio.
The reality is, due to the geo-political situations in Italy and England (how the North-South divides differ in particular) and the relative success of the football teams, I don't think that kind of comparison works.
For example, Liverpool, as a city, would be far more comparable to Napoli, but obviously Napoli can't really be compared with our results on the pitch.
All the most successful Italian teams have been from the more affluent North.
It has probably changed quite a bit due to Juve's recent dominance, but Milan were always the team everyone loved to hate, and that's why I've always equated them to being "the Man U of Italy". But in reality, the fact that they're the artificially enhanced upstarts, run by an obnoxious wealthy twat, probably makes them more like Chelsea. Liverpool would be Inter. Juve are a bit like Arsenal, just a lot more successful.
Ha! the more I think about it, the more it doesn't work at all!