On Wednesday, Newcastle United will host AC Milan in the Champions League and both sides are in contention to progress to the knockout stage.
Stefano Pioli has concerns ahead of the key fixture as the manager will not be able to rely upon Ismaël Bennacer and Simon Kjær.
That’s according to Gazzetta dello Sport, who state the midfielder won’t be in contention for selection against Newcastle.
The Algeria international spent over 200 days on the sidelines due to a knee injury and returned to the pitch at the start of this month. The Serie A side have left him out of the Champions League squad and that makes him ineligible to face the Magpies.
Kjær has been out of action since the end of October and Gazzetta state the centre-back is ‘not ready yet’ for the clash against Newcastle. He could be in contention to face Monza later this week.
In addition to the duo, Pioli will be without Noah Okafor and centre-back trio of Pierre Kalulu, Mattia Caldar and Malick Thiaw for the trip to Newcastle.
Eddie Howe’s side are third in the table, level on points with Milan. The pair are two points behind second placed Paris Saint-Germain, meaning a draw at St James’ Park will see both clubs fail to progress to the knockout stage.
