Champions League: Okafor back for Milan, Bayern warns Man Utd, Napoli must beat Braga

AC Milan forward Noah Okafor took part in the full training session with the rest of the first-team squad in their penultimate day of training before the crucial Champions League clash against Newcastle on Wednesday.

Though he was able to complete Monday’s session, the final assessments as to his availability will likely be made during the final practice on Tuesday.

There is a possibility that Okafor could be declared fit enough to make the bench against Newcastle. A return against Monza in Serie A at the weekend is also a possibility according to reports from TMW.

To qualify for the Round of 16, Milan must beat Newcastle at St James’ Park and also need Paris Saint-Germain to lose to Borussia Dortmund in Germany.

The other piece of positive news for the Rossoneri heading into Wednesday’s showdown is the return of star forward Rafael Leao.

 

Sky Sport Italia broke the news that the Portugues international has been declared fit and is set to start on Wednesday evening, having been rested against Atalanta in the league on Saturday.

Elsewhere, Manchester United can expect Bayern Munich to be fully motivated and looking to bounce back after a shock defeat to Eintracht Frankfurt on Saturday, warns the club’s sporting director Christoph Freund.

Bayern were battered 5-1 at Frankfurt over the weekend in a stunning result which keeps the Bundesliga title race open, with Bayer Leverkusen sitting top of the table.

It was a remarkable defeat for the Bavarian giants but Freund warns Manchester United that it will not help them on Tuesday night at Old Trafford.

Bayern came to Manchester this week having already confirmed the top spot in their Champions League group while United must win to have a chance of making the knockout stages.

 

The Red Devils will hope that the Germans will not be at full throttle as the game is of no significance to them, but Freund suggests otherwise.

‘We’re traveling to Manchester with the feeling that we have something to make up for,’ he said. ‘It’s good that things can get going again after a game like the one in Frankfurt and that we can put things right. It’s important to show a reaction on the pitch.

‘It’s a Champions League game. Manchester United against Bayern Munich is always special. There is still a lot at stake for United, it will be a heated atmosphere. We want to play a good game and remain unbeaten in

Harry Kane will be playing in England for Bayern Munich for the first time since joining Tottenham over the summer and manager Thomas Tuchel reckons he will be very motivated to impress.

‘He is a winner – he is a champion,’ said Tuchel of the England captain.

‘It’s nice to go back to England and Old Trafford. Harry will love it I think and is looking forward to it.

Meanwhile, Napoli will aim to book their spot in the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 when they host SC Braga at Stadio Diego Armando Maradona on Tuesday night.

Napoli will look to avoid defeat to seal their progression to the UEFA Champions League knockouts when they host Braga at Stadio Diego Armando Maradona on Tuesday night, with both teams’ European futures’ hanging in the balance.

The hosts have endured a rather terrible campaign, prompting the dismissal of manager Rudi Garcia only months after his appointment. After initial optimism following Walter Mazzarri’s arrival, they are once again experiencing a hard time and will enter this game off the back of three losses on the spin across all competitions, two of which were crushing defeats in Serie A.

As it stands, last season’s Scudetto winners currently sit in joint-fourth alongside AS Roma with 24 points, putting them at risk of slipping outside of the top four if they do not get back on track. In Europe, Napoli sit second in their group with seven points from five games and only need a point to advance, while a one-goal defeat will also suffice.

They lost 4-2 to Real Madrid in their last game, conceding twice in the final 10 minutes. But Napoli should improve on that against an SC Braga side that has kept just one clean sheet in their last 18 outings.

The Portuguese outfit has to beat Napoli and try to overturn a three-goal deficit in the table to have any chance of progression. That looks like a tall order. But securing a draw should be enough to seal them a spot in the Europa League Round of 32.

They suffered a 3-0 defeat to Real Madrid in their last away match in the Champions League but overcame Union Berlin 3-2 in Germany at the start of October and drew 1-1 against the German outfit last time out. Napoli won the first meeting against Union Berlin 2-1 in September.