Newcastle United will return to Europe’s top table for the first time in the past two decades in Champions League season. The club’s debut in the competition will take place on Tuesday at San Siro, where they will face seven-time champions AC Milan.
The Magpies broke a three-game losing streak in the Premier League with a victory against Brentford in their most recent play, while Inter Milan embarrassed the Rossoneri in their most recent match.
There was a torrential rainstorm in Milan on Saturday, but that didn’t stop the raining on the parade of Inter during the one-sided Derby della Madonnina. The Nerazzurri scored five goals against their sworn enemy for the first time since 1974 in a rout that was a complete annihilation.
Rafael Leao had given Stefano Pioli’s men a glimmer of hope following an opening goal from Henrikh Mkhitaryan and a rocket from Marcus Thuram, but the 34-year-old former inspired Inter to a magnificent success by scoring his second goal of the afternoon and setting up Davide Frattesi either side of a Hakan Calhanoglu penalty against his old club.
Inter also made it five consecutive wins over Milan for the first time ever, as the Rossoneri’s journey through the Champions League last year also ended at the hands of their San Siro adversaries in the semi-finals, losing 3-0 on aggregate. In addition to equaling that 49-year-old goalscoring streak, Inter also made it five consecutive wins over Milan for the first time ever.
However, a confident Pioli, who had previously led Milan to three opening wins this season against Bologna, Torino, and Roma, argued that he could have few concerns with his side’s efforts during the first 70 minutes of Saturday’s derby, although it is unlikely that his assertions will help the mood of the Rossoneri faithful.
Milan welcomes Newcastle to San Siro having lost just one of their last 13 competitive matches as the ‘home’ side, and they triumphed over English opposition in the form of Tottenham Hotspur in the course of last year’s Champions League, despite having been defeated by Chelsea by a score of 5-0 over the course of two group-stage matches. However, Milan was billed as the ‘away’ team for that humiliating defeat.
While Milan had a three-game winning streak in the top tier before Saturday’s humiliation, Newcastle visited Brentford in their most recent Premier League match hoping to salvage a sense of pride after losing three in a row during a dismal summer. Milan, on the other hand, had a three-game winning streak in the top level before Saturday’s humiliation.
Even though Eddie Howe is believed to have the full support of the Newcastle United board of directors, there have been some rumblings of discontent following the team’s narrow loss at Manchester City. Despite this, the team’s failure to hold on to a one-goal lead against Liverpool with 10 men and to be torn to shreds by Evan Ferguson of Brighton & Hove Albion led to these rumblings.
The former head coach of Bournemouth exhaled a huge sigh of relief when his team broke a three-game losing streak against the Bees. The Bees were defeated by a penalty kick scored by Callum Wilson in the second half of a tumultuous match, during which the England striker had another goal disallowed and the Magpies were denied a second penalty kick. The streak was snapped when the Bees were defeated by the Magpies.
As the Magpies prepare for their first Champions League meeting since the summer of 2003, when their qualifying adventure came to an end with a penalty-shootout loss to Partizan, it is possible that an impending European sojourn was playing on the minds of Howe’s crop during their wretched run of results. This is the case as the Magpies gear up for their first Champions League match since the summer of 2003.
AC Milan Team News
Although Pioli is without centre-back Pierre Kalulu owing to a thigh worry – which could keep him out for a few weeks – and Ismael Bennacer is on the long road to recovery from knee surgery, one positive thing that happened for Milan over the weekend was that no more players entered the infirmary with injuries. This was a modest positive for the team.
However, Fikayo Tomori is available to return on Tuesday and might take the place of Simon Kjaer. Fikayo Tomori was suspended and could only watch helplessly from the sidelines as the Nerazzurri decimated the Rossoneri.
Samuel Chukwueze may come into the thinking of Pioli for a start alongside Leao and Olivier Giroud, who managed to complete 77 minutes on Saturday in spite of taking a knock for France on international duty. Christian Pulisic was also mostly anonymous during the derby, thus Samuel Chukwueze may come into the thinking of Pioli for a start.
Possible lineup for Milan :
Mike Maignan, Calabria, Tomori, Thiaw, Theo Hernandez, Reijnders, Krunic, Loftus-Cheek, Chukwueze, Giroud, Leao
Newcastle Team News
Milan will be reunited with one of their former player, Sandro Tonali. Tonali’s return with Milan was in risk when he sustained an injury during the international break; however, the Italian was able to make the bench against Brentford and should be reinstated into the XI this week.
However, neither Joe Willock nor Emil Krafth will be participating for their team’s Champions League opening. Additionally, Howe has acknowledged that Joelinton will not be available for Tuesday’s match because to the knee injury he sustained while playing for Brazil.
In light of the fact that Tonali is anticipated to make a speedy recovery, 20-year-old Elliot Anderson will almost certainly be dropped from the starting lineup. On the other hand, a revitalized Alexander Isak should be selected to replace Wilson in the number nine role, despite the fact that Wilson scored the game-winning penalty kick over the weekend.
Possible lineup for Newcastle :
Pope, Trippier, Schar, Botman, Burn, Longstaff, Sandro Tonali, Guimaraes, Gordon, Isak, Barnes
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