AC Milan vs Newcastle LIVE: Champions League result and final score as Nick Pope saves deny hosts
AC Milan 0-0 Newcastle: Eddie Howe’s side held the hosts to a goalless draw on their Champions League return
Newcastle marked their return to the Champions League after a two-decade absence with a hard-fought 0-0 draw with AC Milan at San Siro on Tuesday, as the Serie A club spurned numerous opportunities in the Group F opener.
Milan winger Rafael Leao kept the Newcastle defence busy throughout the contest and had his best opportunity in the 34th minute, but he miscued an elaborate backheel after skipping past two defenders.
He was also wasteful in the second half, firing a header over the bar after Alessandro Florenzi found him with an inch-perfect cross. The visitors’ attacking efforts were limited to counter-attacks and the English side recorded just one shot on target.
The draw could hurt both teams’ prospects in a challenging group, which features Ligue 1 champions Paris St Germain and 1997 winners Borussia Dortmund.
AC Milan vs Newcastle prediction
AC Milan are tricky opponents in the Champions League and will want to bounce back from their derby defeat at the weekend.
They’ll try to utilise the atmosphere of the San Siro to their advantage but Newcastle, buoyed by the prospect of once again playing in Europe, will have enough quality to keep them at bay for a slender win or, more likely, a scoring draw.
AC Milan 1-1 Newcastle
AC Milan vs Newcastle predicted line-ups
AC Milan: Maignan; Calabria, Tomori, Kjaer, Hernandez; Reijnders, Krunic, Loftus-Cheek; Chukwueze, Giroud, Leao
Newcastle XI: Pope; Trippier, Schar, Botman, Burn; Longstaff, Tonali, Guimaraes; Gordon, Isak, Barnes
What is the team news?
AC Milan are without centre-back Pierre Kalulu due to a thigh concern while Ismael Bennacer continues to recover from knee surgery. Fikayo Tomori was suspendes for Milan’s defeat to Inter at the weekend but is expected to come straight back into the starting XI for tonight’s game.
Newcastle’s Sandro Tonali will return to the San Siro despite picking up a knock while on international duty. He was on the bench for the win versus Brentford but is expected to feature for Eddie Howe’s men this evening. Joe Willock and Emil Krafth are out with respective calf and knee injuries while Joelinton (knee) is also absent.
How to watch AC Milan vs Newcastle
The match kicks off at 5.45pm BST on Tuesday 19 September at the San Siro in Italy.
AC Milan vs Newcastle will be broadcast live on TNT Sports 1 with coverage starting at 5pm. It will be streamed live on the Discovery+ app and desktop website for subscribers.
If you’re travelling abroad and want to watch AC Milan vs Newcastle then you might need a VPN to unblock your streaming app. Our VPN roundup is here to help: get great deals on the best VPNs in the market.
AC Milan vs Newcastle
Good afternoon and welcome to The Independent’s coverage of tonight’s Champions League action.
Newcastle are back in the big time after their fourth place finish in the Premier League last season and Eddie Howe’s men are being thrown in the deep end with a trip to the San Siro to face AC Milan.
It’s been 20 years since Newcastle last played in Europe’s top-flight but under Howe they have shown enough promise to hold their own against their more experienced opponents.
Tonight’s encounter should be an interesting one and should Newcastle win it will give them a huge boost ahead of facing Paris Saint-Germain and Borussia Dortmund later in the group stages.
We’ll have all the build-up, team news and updates before kick off at 5.45pm so stick around.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments