Champions League: Newcastle and Milan’s Battle for Survival

Newcastle United vs AC Milan

The Group F of the 2023-24 Champions League has lived up to its “Group of Death” moniker. All four teams are deserving of making it to the knockout rounds, but unfortunately, only two clubs can qualify after this week.

SBOTOP football fans will be glued to their seats, monitoring the Champions League 2023 updates between Borussia Dortmund, PSG, Newcastle United, and AC Milan, as BVB will host the Parisiens at Signal Iduna Park while the Rossoneri visit the Magpies all at the same time.

Borussia Dortmund are likely to advance to the knockout rounds. And depending on what unfolds on Wednesday, PSG, Newcastle United, and AC Milan can either find themselves in the knockout stages of the Champions League, the Europa League Round of 32, or out of European football altogether.

Talking Points

Newcastle United soldiering on

Prior to this contest, the Magpies suffered disheartening defeats against Everton and Tottenham by an aggregate tally of 7-1, although neither of those matches happened at St. James Park.

This season, Eddie Howe’s men have won eight of their last nine home matches in all competitions, so they will be looking for that much-needed home comfort amid their sizeable absentee list.

Callum Wilson and Sean Longstaff finally returned to the bench following their respective layoffs, but the fact remains that their overall depth is compromised, with the likes of Nick Pope (shoulder), Jacob Murphy (shoulder), Dan Burn (back), Elliot Anderson (back), Harvey Barnes (foot), Joe Willock (calf), Sven Botman (knee), Javi Manquillo (groin), and Matt Targett (thigh) all injured, while Sandro Tonali remains suspended for breaching betting rules.

Eddie Howe is likely to maintain much of his starting XI against Tottenham, except that 17-year-old Lewis Miley might give way for Sean Longstaff in the middle of the park.

It’s a good thing for them, however, that Alexander Isak, Anthony Gordon, and Miguel Almiron are all in solid form, with the three of them accounting for 19 goals and four assists across all competitions thus far.

Leao should be good to go, Jovic finding rhythm

AC Milan have been without Rafael Leao in their last four fixtures due to a thigh injury, but he trained with the team recently, which points towards a potential return to the starting XI on Wednesday.

This is great news for the Rossoneri since they badly need him in the final third. After all, he is their third-best scorer this season with four goals and three assists.

Samuel Chukwueze will drop back to the bench in favour of Leao, and the Portuguese winger should be joined up front by Olivier Giroud and Christian Pulisic, who have combined for 14 goals and six assists so far this term.

Chukwueze should still warrant some playing time alongside Luka Jovic, who has also improved lately. The Serbian striker has found the back of the net against Frosinone and Atalanta to emerge as the squad’s fourth-leading scorer.

History

Wednesday marks the second-ever competitive meeting between the Magpies and the Rossoneri. During their previous Champions League group stage encounter last September, the game ended in a goalless draw.

AC Milan are the first Serie A club to visit Newcastle United at St. James Park in Europe since Inter Milan in November 2002, which ended in a 4-1 victory for the Nerazzurri during a Champions League group stage contest.

The Rossoneri have won just one of their 21 European road games in England (D7, L13), which was a 1-0 win against Manchester United in February 2005 at Old Trafford. And if they lose against the Magpies, they might finish at the bottom of the group, which has only happened twice before (1999-00 and 2021-22).

Newcastle United, who lost 1-0 to Borussia Dortmund last month, have never lost consecutive home games in Europe and are in danger of doing so on Wednesday.

Betting Tip

The Champions League 2023 odds have Newcastle United winning this game despite being undermanned. The Magpies are priced at 1.92 to win, whereas AC Milan are at 3.55 odds, and a draw is at 3.35 in the 1X2 market.

Newcastle United are desperate to regain form, and they have a chance to do so under the bright lights of St. James Park in front of their fervent supporters. However, they cannot engage AC Milan in a high-scoring shootout to arrest their skid.

So, we’re going for our bet above, while Total Goal 0-1 at 3.57 and 2-3 at 1.97 are something to consider too. On the other hand, Correct Score 0-0 – the result of their most recent meeting – has a whopping offer of 12.50.

 

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