AC Milan vs Newcastle 19/09/2023
AC Milan will play host to Newcastle United in the UEFA Champions League group stage on Tuesday at 1745 (BST)
Date, KO time and TV coverage
Champions League, Tuesday, September 19, Kick-off 5:45pm
Champions League betting tips
- AC Milan 1-1 Newcastle United
- Newcastle United +0.25 Asian handicap
- Both teams to score
*Prices subject to fluctuation.
AC Milan vs Newcastle United 19/09/2023 – Verdict
AC Milan were thrashed 5-1 by Inter Milan at the weekend, losing to their city rivals for the fifth consecutive meeting in 2023.
That setback ended their unbeaten start to the campaign in which they’d beaten Bologna 2-0, Torino 4-1 and Roma 2-1 despite being reduced to 10 men.
Newcastle United will make their first Champions League appearance since the 2003/04 season. The Magpies didn’t make it past Partizan Belgrade in the qualifying round back then.
Last season’s fourth-place finish under Eddie Howe represents remarkable progress from their flirt with relegation 18 months ago.
Milan have made good progress Stefano Pioli and are Inter’s most likely challenger for the Scudetto this season, and they have the experience to dust themselves down and go again.
Their squad is full of Champions League experience, something Newcastle are sorely lacking, and they proved a tough nut for Spurs to crack when winning 1-0 over two legs.
They built on their progression with a 2-1 aggregate victory over Serie A champions Napoli before eventually meeting their match in old foe Inter.
How Newcastle will fare at this level and how quickly they’ll adapt on the night is pure speculation.
Previously the Premier League’s meanest defence, they’d conceded in 14 of 15 before beating Brentford 1-0.
It’s also worth noting that they’ve conceded in each of their previous 11 Premier League away matches, shipping two or more against Man City, Aston Villa, Leeds and Brighton.
Milan are not short of goals, but the gravitas of the situation could bring the best out of the Toon. Their 1-0 loss at the Etihad shows they still can frustrate teams.
It’s also worth noting that AC Milan have won just seven of their previous 25 Champions League matches and have scored one or fewer goals in 20 of those.
Other than Celtic, Salzburg and Dinamo Zagreb, they haven’t blown any team away and they’ve failed to win five of six matches against Premier League opposition during that run.
