NEWCASTLE v AC MILAN: THE BRIEFING

It's Newcastle v AC Milan; it's EVERYTHING. The Rossoneri will soon find out if they are to continue their Champions League campaign, end up in the Europa League or be completely out of Europe. It all comes down to matchday 6 in Group F, with hearts in Newcastle and one eye on Dortmund, as points and various permutations come into play. Let's prepare for the big night, scheduled for Wednesday 13 December at 21:00 CET at St James' Park, by presenting our Briefing.

MOTIVATIONS BEYOND CURRENT DIFFICULTIES
AC Milan and Newcastle are not in the best of form: the Rossoneri lost out in Bergamo (3-2 versus Atalanta), while the English side were even worse in London (4-1 to Tottenham). The weekend didn't bring much joy and the league campaign is bringing up more challenges than expected: holding on to Europe, hoping for qualification in the Champions League, or aiming for at least a third-place finish, is a great incentive to react to recent disappointment. Time is almost up: desire and pride to fight until the end must heal the wounds, and adrenaline produced to bring out maximum effort. However, it seems like a paradox for teams who need to win that they must first focus on the defence: don't concede goals, make mistakes and give little away must be top of the list; it's hard to calculate for after recent performances and absentees, but they will be necessary. Both sides are not at full strength and have injury concerns, especially at the back, where the Magpies have even more issues.

APPROACH AND ATTITUDE, TECHNIQUE AND PHYSICALITY
What attitude will AC Milan and Newcastle choose at the start and in their game management? The answer will be provided on the pitch and this will depend a lot on the outcome. It's possible to imagine a fast and furious start from the English team, playing on home soil, in an attempt to get an early breakthrough. The Rossoneri will have to be extremely careful, stay strong and solid in the face of the opponents' bursts forward before trying to, firstly, break away and, even more so if they choose to play cautiously, drive forward freely leaving themselves time on the ball. The Diavolo know they already have a higher technical quality, as seen in the reverse fixture at San Siro despite the game ending 0-0. Being good on the ball will be important, as will physicality. The match will require strength and substance: from Giroud to Isak, from Loftus-Cheek to Joelinton, from Tomori to Lascelles. England, St James' Park: you only need to think of the country and the stadium to be sure it will be a battle.

THE RETURN OF LEÃO, AND POSITIONS OF THEO AND PULISIC AND GORDON-ALMIRON
There is no better news for Pioli than a returning Leão. The Portuguese player has recovered and should come straight back into the starting line-up, a key player for various aspects in this team. Rafa has been missing since Lecce away, a full month, and his presence will restore energy. Although he probably won't be at his 100% best, he will provide an important offensive role. He will likely have less support from Hernández, who is looking at playing his third consecutive game in the centre, but the Frenchman will always be looking to push down the left-hand side when possible. Speaking of the flanks, a lot is expected from Pulisic, again moved over to the right and who has yet to set the Champions League alight. On the wings, Howe will line up with his atttacking threats in Gordon and Almiron, who lead the stat charts (six goals and five assists for the Englishman and four goals and one assist for the Paraguayian).

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