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AC Milan were humiliated 5-1 by Inter Milan at the weekend, their fifth consecutive loss to their fierce rivals in 2023.

That loss ended their unbeaten run in the season, in which they had beaten Bologna 2-0, Torino 4-1, and Roma 2-1, despite being reduced to 10 men against Jose Mourinho’s side.

Newcastle United will compete in the Champions League for the first time since 2003-04 when they were eliminated in the qualifying round by Partizan Belgrade.

After flirting with relegation 18 months ago, Newcastle United's fourth-place finish last season under Eddie Howe is a remarkable improvement.

Milan have also made good progress Stefano Pioli and will be expected to challenge on all fronts this season, and they should have the character to dust themselves down and go again.

The experienced Champions League campaigners beat Spurs 1-0 over two legs last season before going on to eliminate Serie A champions Napoli 2-1 on aggregate.

It is tough to say how Newcastle will perform at this level or how quickly they will adapt on the night, but they’ll need to tighten their leaky defence after conceding in 14 of their 15 matches.

The Magpies have conceded in each of their last 11 Premier League away games, conceding two or more goals against Manchester City, Aston Villa, Leeds, and Brighton.

Milan are capable of scoring, but the pressure of the situation could bring out the best in the visitors. Their 1-0 loss at the Etihad shows they still can make life difficult.

AC Milan have won only 7 of their last 25 Champions League matches, scoring one or fewer goals in 20 of those. The San Siro isn’t a fortress and they aren’t prolific in Europe, which offers Howe’s men some hope.

Apart from Celtic, Salzburg, and Dinamo Zagreb, they have not convincingly defeated any team and have lost five of six matches against Premier League opposition during that time.

Predicted score

AC Milan 1-1 Newcastle United

Suggested bets 

Newcastle United +0.25 Asian handicap

Both teams to score