Newcastle face might of AC Milan with Champions League hopes on knife edge

Newcastle United's rollercoaster Champions League group-stage ride reaches its final twist on Wednesday when the Premier League side play host to AC Milan at St James' Park.

Drawn in the "Group of Death" alongside Ligue 1 title-holders Paris Saint-Germain, Bundesliga runners-up Borussia Dortmund and seven-time European champions Milan, the Magpies head into the game on Tyneside with their European hopes on a knife edge.

Dortmund have already secured their passage through to the last-16 but for the other three clubs, a nervous night awaits.

Newcastle will finish as runners-up and seal their knockout stage spot if they defeat the Rossoneri and PSG fail to win against Dortmund in Germany.

If the Magpies and PSG win – or Newcastle draw – then Eddie Howe's side switch to the Europa League play-offs and their European adventure continues, albeit having dropped down a tier. Lose, and their first Champions League campaign in two decades is over.

“It would be an incredible achievement if we could do it, we can't transport ourselves there,” said Howe in Tuesday's press conference. “We can only look to do it. We have to get our focus right, we can't be distracted by what’s done elsewhere.

“We have worked so hard to be in this position in the first place. Our intention, myself, the players, the coaching staff is to win the match.

“I think probably to be here with some kind of destiny in our hands, with European football in our hands … It's got all the hallmarks of being a special game.

“All we can do is try to give our best performance, we will try everything. We want to make this a magical European night.”

When the teams met at the San Siro in their opening Group F match, Newcastle were relieved to come away from Italy with a goalless draw after a nervy and underwhelming performance spent almost entirely on the back foot.

The Serie A side had 25 attempts on goal to Newcastle's six and the away team were indebted to the heroics of goalkeeper Nick Pope – out injured for Wednesday's return game – and a Herculean defensive effort.

“It could be a vital point,” said Howe after the match, which has proven to be the case heading into the final round of games.

After that came one of the greatest nights in the club's European history when PSG and Kylian Mbappe were blown away 4-1 on a fever-pitch night at St James' Park when local boys Dan Burn – also now out injured – and Sean Longstaff were among the goals.

Milan 0 Newcastle 0: Player ratings

And Howe admitted the team will need more of that ferocious home backing on Wednesday. “We're going to need every voice, everyone can make a difference for us,” he said.

“That’s been the fitting for our home form, the fans have driven us on and they’ve given us the ability to keep going, so we're going to need that tomorrow.

“Being under the lights here is very special with something to play for and everything to gain. I think were looking forward to try to prove ourselves in our performances.”

After falling to back-to-back defeats against a streetwise Dortmund outfit, Newcastle were cruelly denied their own win double when a controversial Mbappe penalty snatched a point for PSG at Parc des Princes.

“We still believe,” stated Howe in Paris and they will need to maintain that belief to have any chance of keeping their European dream alive despite the team taking some body blows of late.

They go up against Milan having suffered two heavy Premier League defeats – 3-0 at Everton and 4-1 at Tottenham Hotspur – maintaining a miserable away record this season of just one win on their travels all campaign.

While their home record remains as good as their away one is bad – they have lost only twice at St James' Park, against Liverpool and Dortmund – the shadow of a horrendous injury crisis looms large over the squad.

The same 10 outfield players have started the last five games and the lack of options off the bench has left those still standing dealing with a punishing schedule with little respite.

While striker Callum Wilson and midfielder Sean Longstaff made welcome returns from injury in North London, Howe admitted at the weekend that he will have to be “very careful” with the pair who are “not 100 per cent fit”.

Farage on Muslim Brotherhood

Nigel Farage told Reform's annual conference that the party will proscribe the Muslim Brotherhood if he becomes Prime Minister.
"We will stop dangerous organisations with links to terrorism operating in our country," he said. "Quite why we've been so gutless about this – both Labour and Conservative – I don't know.
“All across the Middle East, countries have banned and proscribed the Muslim Brotherhood as a dangerous organisation. We will do the very same.”
It is 10 years since a ground-breaking report into the Muslim Brotherhood by Sir John Jenkins.
Among the former diplomat's findings was an assessment that “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” has “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
The prime minister at the time, David Cameron, who commissioned the report, said membership or association with the Muslim Brotherhood was a "possible indicator of extremism" but it would not be banned.

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Dubai works towards better air quality by 2021

Dubai is on a mission to record good air quality for 90 per cent of the year – up from 86 per cent annually today – by 2021.

The municipality plans to have seven mobile air-monitoring stations by 2020 to capture more accurate data in hourly and daily trends of pollution.

These will be on the Palm Jumeirah, Al Qusais, Muhaisnah, Rashidiyah, Al Wasl, Al Quoz and Dubai Investment Park.

“It will allow real-time responding for emergency cases,” said Khaldoon Al Daraji, first environment safety officer at the municipality.

“We’re in a good position except for the cases that are out of our hands, such as sandstorms.

“Sandstorms are our main concern because the UAE is just a receiver.

“The hotspots are Iran, Saudi Arabia and southern Iraq, but we’re working hard with the region to reduce the cycle of sandstorm generation.”

Mr Al Daraji said monitoring as it stood covered 47 per cent of Dubai.

There are 12 fixed stations in the emirate, but Dubai also receives information from monitors belonging to other entities.

“There are 25 stations in total,” Mr Al Daraji said.

“We added new technology and equipment used for the first time for the detection of heavy metals.

“A hundred parameters can be detected but we want to expand it to make sure that the data captured can allow a baseline study in some areas to ensure they are well positioned.”