AC Milan - Newcastle Tip 19-09-2023

The UEFA Champions League is back in our lives this week as we get ready for the group stage of the competition. Thirty-two of the biggest and best clubs from across Europe will come together in an attempt to make their push for a place in next year’s final in London. Today, we’ll be taking a look at what should be a fun encounter between AC Milan and Newcastle United.

AC Milan feel like they’re finally rediscovering their identity on the world stage. They were once seen as a juggernaut by most teams around the continent, and after reaching the semi-finals last season, we’d say they’re positioned nicely for another run. They’ve maintained a core contingent of their squad and they aren’t the kind of team that shies away from a challenge.

Milan did well to push past Bologna with a comfortable 2-0 win at the end of August, before firing four past Torino in another comfortable win. They proceeded to beat Roma 2-1, but against rivals Inter, they came unstuck in a 5-1 humiliation.

Newcastle United are back in the Champions League which, for many, is an exceptionally strange thing to hear. Eddie Howe is the man who has managed to guide them back here and we can’t imagine they’ll roll over, despite being in a perceived ‘group of death’. They’ve got an exciting squad, and it’s intriguing to think about how that’ll manifest in the UCL.

Following on from a strong 5-1 win over Aston Villa, Newcastle proceeded to taste some humble pie. They were beaten by Manchester City, Liverpool and Brighton, only managing to bounce back at home to Brentford in a 1-0 win.

Newcastle are back in Europe and Milan want to prove a point. In our view, the only thing that adds up to is controlled chaos. We think these two behemoths are going to trade blows for the majority of the game, with the end result being over 2.5 goals scored in Italy.