With a thin squad and Newcastle on the verge of collapse, this is AC Milan's best chance to win!
The Champions League death group will come in the early morning of December 14th, in the case of Dortmund has already qualified in advance, Newcastle United and AC Milan will see the face of Paris Saint-Germain, but for these two teams they still need to compete for at least one Europa League place, if Paris Saint-Germain loses to Dortmund, if the two teams produce a winner, they can also enter the knockout round of the Champions League, this game, Newcastle and AC Milan can not give up!
For AC Milan, this game will be at least easier than the first leg against Newcastle, because Newcastle's injuries and absences are still as many as 10 people, including Pope, Byrne, Botman, Willock and other main players, although AC Milan also have players such as Leao (Leao is likely to return in this game) and other players are injured, but in terms of impact, Newcastle are already on the verge of collapse.
Newcastle's form is slipping gradually
It can be seen that since November 2, Newcastle have played 9 games, which is a total of 39 days, and there are less than two weeks of national breaks, and many Newcastle internationals have not been given a chance to rest, if the 10 days are removed, Newcastle still plays every three days on average.
In the same time, AC Milan only played 7 games, and the rest time was a little more relaxed, plus the week before facing Milan, Newcastle also played a double game in the Premier League, which made Newcastle a little worse, and Newcastle's successive heavy defeats to Everton and Tottenham in the Premier League are the best proof.
Pioli has to take this opportunity
For AC Milan, the biggest threat is that Newcastle's home performance is better than the away performance, in this season's Champions League + Premier League + League Cup three competitions 11 games, Newcastle won 9 and lost 2 games, home Dragon is definitely the number one.
Even in November and December, when injuries gradually increased, Newcastle also won Arsenal, Chelsea, and Manchester United.
AC Milan's away record is very poor, since the win over Genoa on October 8, AC Milan suffered a four-game winless run in Serie A and the Champions League, and the most recent league game was a 2-3 defeat to Atalanta, in this case, AC Milan must overcome the disadvantage of the away side and try to win at Newcastle's home stadium, because Newcastle's current situation is almost the best chance to beat them.
Eddie Howe is about to face his toughest challenge
For Newcastle and AC Milan, it is almost certain that a team will disappear from the Champions League, and this is the best time for AC Milan to beat Newcastle, but Newcastle have also shown with resilience time and time again this season that they will not give up.
In today's Newcastle, the midfielders and forwards have remained relatively intact, but there are not many substitutes available, but in the backline, Newcastle have three main players who have not been able to play, especially in the left wing-back position, Eddie Howe is likely to arrange the 21-year-old Livramento to start, but the full-back has not played much in the first team in the past two seasons, and his performance this season has not been ideal.
If Milan can target Newcastle's right flank, then AC Milan may have a big advantage in the game, such as attacking from the right to suppress Newcastle's Anthony Gordon and Joelinton who have been doing well this season.
The key to this game is likely to be Olivier Giroud
The best thing about Newcastle's team is their discipline and resilience, and the games that Newcastle don't want to win are usually really hard to lose, such as on November 29, Newcastle was shot 31 times by the opponent at the home of Paris Saint-Germain, and still held on to a 1:1 draw, so whether AC Milan's big center Giroud can score something and break the deadlock is likely to affect the trend of the game.
In the event of a draw between the two sides, the two teams will enter the stage where the goal difference of the group will determine the position, and the current goal difference of AC Milan is 4 compared to Newcastle, which also means that AC Milan has not even qualified for the Europa League!
Based on the injuries of both sides, the physical reserves, and the desire to win, the author believes that AC Milan will be the more proactive side in the game, and at the same time, AC Milan is more likely to end the game unbeaten or even winning, of course, the final result of the game, let's look forward to the game at 04:00 am on December 14th!