USMNT star Christian Pulisic reveals how Milan will approach must-win Champions League clash vs Newcastle with ex-Chelsea man relishing St James' Park return

Responding to questions ahead of Wednesday's match, Pulisic revealed how he is relishing the opportunity to play at St. James Park, having previously played there during his time at Chelsea. The American says Milan's mentality is a winning one, and that it is their primary focus ahead of the contest.

“I think we are well prepared and I think we need to give everything to have a chance to win the game and to come out of the group... Newcastle United are a very intense team. They will put in a lot of hard work, a lot of tackles, a lot of energy and we need to be ready for this.”

“[We need to] have a good game if we want to win. For us, all we can focus on is winning the game. We can only control this and after the game, we will see how we stand. [We will] hopefully do our part and see what happens.”

He added: "I played there [at St James' Park], it will be a hot atmosphere. It’s an important game for us and for them, we have to be ready and looking forward to such a game.”

There are two scenarios for them to advance, one in the UCL and one in the UEL, as Stefano Pioli's side look to stay in Europe. Milan will go through to the last-16 as runners-up if they beat Newcastle and Borussia Dortmund - Pulisic's former club - defeat Paris Saint Germain. The Rossoneri can advance to the Europa League knockout-round playoffs with a win and a PSG draw/win.

The Rossoneri enter the Newcastle clash in serious danger of having their Champions League dreams squashed at the first hurdle. Pulisic and Co will need to perform if their want to keep their European hopes alive heading into the new year.