UEFA Champions League: Newcastle vs AC Milan Live
Preview
The fans at St James’ Park will wear their black and white scarves for a significant Champions League event on Wednesday night, as Newcastle United and AC Milan compete to advance to the knockout rounds. The two teams are closely matched in Group F with five points each, and while Newcastle currently holds the advantage in goal difference, both teams still require favorable results in other matches to continue their European campaign.
The ongoing debate about the use of VAR was reignited when Newcastle faced off against French champions Paris Saint-Germain two weeks ago. Newcastle seemed on the brink of a historic victory when Alexander Isak scored in the first half. However, in injury time, a controversial handball decision led to PSG being awarded a penalty, which Kylian Mbappe converted to deny Newcastle a win.
Despite this setback, Newcastle still has a chance to advance in the competition if they win their upcoming match and PSG fails to beat Borussia Dortmund. However, Newcastle’s recent form has been poor, with consecutive losses in the Premier League. Despite their struggles, Newcastle has a strong record at St James’ Park, winning eight of their last nine home matches in all competitions.
Dealing with a challenging injury list is nothing new for Milan head coach Stefano Pioli. However, the path to the last 16 has become more complex for the Rossoneri. In their penultimate Group F match at home against Borussia Dortmund, they suffered a 3-1 defeat, which secured the German team’s place in the knockout rounds.
Milan is currently at the bottom of the ‘group of death’ rankings and needs to win their final match at St James’ Park and hope for a Dortmund victory over PSG to secure the second last-16 spot. In a similar fashion to Newcastle, Milan also experienced a disappointing result in a five-goal thriller away from home in a Serie A clash with Atalanta BC, extending their winless streak to four games.
Head-to-head
Both teams played out a goalless draw at the San Siro earlier this season.
Prediction
When things get difficult at St James’ Park, Newcastle usually rise to the occasion, and playing against a Milan team with only one healthy central defender is just what Newcastle needs as their squad has been heavily affected by injuries. Milan will also aim to take advantage of Newcastle’s ongoing injury problems to keep their hopes of advancing to the last-16 alive. Despite Newcastle’s recent Premier League results giving Pioli’s side some hope, the energetic support from the Tyneside crowd suggests that Newcastle will likely win a thrilling match, leaving both teams waiting anxiously to see the outcome.
