AC Milan are experiencing an injury crisis in defence and thus could have done with Primavera star Jan-Carlo Simic in the squad against Newcastle. However, just like Ismael Bennacer, he cannot be called up by Stefano Pioli.
Four centre-backs are currently on the injury list and this means Fikayo Tomori is the only centre-back available. Against Newcastle, therefore, Theo Hernandez is expected to play in the centre again after doing so in the last two games.
It would have been good to have Primavera star Simic at least on the bench, be he cannot be added to the B list. This is because he hasn’t been in the Milan youth ranks for long enough, having joined the Rossoneri in the summer of 2022.
Pioli also cannot call up Bennacer, who recently returned from his serious knee injury. He wasn’t included in the squad that Milan locked in for the group stage, which was understandable, and no changes can be made now.
Yunus Musah will be back from his suspension, at least, and this means he should start in midfield alongside TIjjani Reijnders and Ruben Loftus-Cheek. As for the defence, Davide Bartesaghi will be the option off the bench, with Simon Kjaer unlikely to recover in time.
