Callum Wilson raring to go ahead of Newcastle's do-or-die Champions League climax - 'What dreams are made of'

Callum Wilson says Newcastle would have signed up for a do-or-die climax to their Champions League group campaign and that the chance to qualify by beating AC Milan is “what dreams are made of.”

The Magpies were pitted in the ‘Group of Death’ on their long-awaited return to European football’s top competition, alongside seven-time champions Milan, German giants Borussia Dortmund and star-studded Paris Saint-Germain.

Eddie Howe’s side go into their final Group F game at home to Milan on Wednesday knowing they need to win and for Dortmund to avoid defeat against PSG.

It is a big task, but Wilson insists it’s one that the Premier League side would have happily accepted before a ball was kicked.

“We worked hard to get ourselves into this position in the first place last season and we’re here now,” Wilson told TNT Sports.

“When the draw was made, if you’d said that you have this opportunity on the last matchday, we would have taken it.

“We find ourselves here and we just have to beat the team in front of us now.”

He added: “If you go back to when the draw was made and you’re looking at the fixtures and the way things pan out, we knew this game – if we hadn’t got the job wrapped up already - would be of big importance to us, at home against Milan.

“We said this might be a defining moment, and what a moment it would be to do it at home in front of the fans and give them something to remember.

“It’s what dreams are made of.”

Wilson returned from a recurring hamstring injury over the weekend, coming off the bench in a disappointing 4-1 defeat to Tottenham, and says he is feeling “confident” his body “can cope with the demands” of a busy fixture schedule.

The England striker will be up against international team-mate Fikayo Tomori at St. James’ Park, but was unaware of a defensive crisis that has left the Rossoneri with just one fit centre-back, with left-back Theo Hernandez looking likely to be forced to fill in as a central defender.

“That’s the first time I’ve heard that just now! Thank you for that,” Wilson said.

“Tomori is a great player; I know him from England. Regardless of who else is at the side I’m sure he will be able to do a job and someone who steps in is a more than adequate replacement. They are a top side, and we’ll have to make sure we’re on it on the night.”

Two weeks have passed since Newcastle’s last Champions League game ended in highly controversial fashion in Paris.

Kylian Mbappe scored a last-gasp penalty to pinch a 1-1 draw at the death, but the Magpies were left enraged by the decision to award the spot kick.

However, Wilson insists he and his team-mates had to move on quickly and not dwell on any sense of injustice.

“Obviously it’s not a nice way to concede, late on," he said. "As footballers it’s disappointing but you have to quickly put your emotions to the side.

“We had a Premier League game right after which we needed to try and win, because that’s ultimately our bread and butter, and we did that [a 1-0 win over Manchester United].

“We’ve come back to the Champions League again, where we would like to try and put on a show for our home fans, get the three points that we need and hopefully things go our way on the night.”

Reflecting on the season as a whole, Wilson suggested there has been too much negativity around Newcastle’s performances as they fight on several fronts.

The loss to Tottenham at the weekend was their third in the last five Premier League games, leaving Newcastle seventh in the standings, but they remain in contention for a Champions League last 16 spot and beat Manchester City and Manchester United to reach the EFL Cup quarter-finals.

“People are looking at [the season] as a negative but we’ve played a lot of top sides. We’ve played Manchester City, Man Utd twice, Arsenal, Liverpool, PSG, Dortmund, Milan,” Wilson said.

“If you look at that and the results we’ve got in most of those games, minus the injuries we’ve had I think the season has been going well.

“For us as a club we have the utmost self-belief that we can get in the Champions League again and that’s what we’re working hard to do.

“We’re currently still in a Champions League campaign, we’re in a quarter-final of the cup, so when you put things in perspective, things are OK.”

Newcastle v AC Milan will be live on TNT Sports 1 and TNT Sports Ultimate with coverage from 19:00 UK time on Wednesday, December 13.

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