Newcastle v Barcelona: Line-ups, stats and preview
It's a huge test for the Magpies.
Newcastle United welcome Barcelona back to St James’ Park hoping to spring a famous upset in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie.
The Magpies kicked off their Champions League campaign with a 2-1 home defeat by Barcelona in a pulsating encounter settled by a stunning Marcus Rashford brace.
Since then they have lost just once in the competition, a 2-1 reverse at Marseille, and have won all four of their subsequent Champions League fixtures at St James’ Park.
A 3-1 defeat in the FA Cup fifth round by Manchester City, in which they were thorougly outplayed by Pep Guardiola’s side after taking the lead through a Harvey Barnes strike, has left the Champions League as Newcastle’s only chance of silverware.
Those hopes are viewed as slim, and they will be clear underdogs to progress against Barcelona and set up a quarter-final tie with either Atletico Madrid or Tottenham.
Hansi Flick’s men have scored 11 goals in their last four games. Barca prevailed in all of them, though a 3-0 win over Atletico Madrid was not enough to secure progression from the semi-finals of the Copa del Rey.
Barca’s teenage sensation Lamine Yamal missed the league phase game with Newcastle due to a groin injury, but he heads into this fixture in fine form.
Having scored a hat-trick in the 4-1 LaLiga win over Villarreal last month, Yamal was the difference-maker again in a 1-0 victory at Athletic Club, his wondrous strike flying in off the post after sensational midfield play from Pedri.
Yamal’s goal was his 19th this season, meaning he has already surpassed his tally of 18 from the previous campaign, which saw the Blaugrana win a LaLiga and Copa del Rey double and reach the semi-finals of the Champions League.
It will likely require a mammoth effort from Newcastle to keep Barcelona’s plethora of attacking talents at bay, though Newcastle will be confident in their own abilities going forward.
No team has scored more than the 26 goals Newcastle have netted this season in the Champions League, that tally putting them level with Paris Saint-Germain. Anthony Gordon has accounted for 10 of those, with Kylian Mbappe (13) the sole player to score more.
And, despite a quick turnaround from the weekend, defender Kieran Trippier is embracing the challenge the Magpies have in front of them.
“This is where the club wants to be, where the club needs to be for the supporters,” Trippier told newcastleunited.com after the cup exit to City.
“Of course, they’re going to be disappointed with the result today, but the lads, physically, we gave everything. It was a big shift against Man United [in a 2-1 win with 10 men] midweek, but again, no excuses.
“Now we just have to refresh, recover well and again, a massive game against Barcelona on Tuesday. I’m sure the supporters will be up for that.”
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Team news for Newcastle v Barcelona
Newcastle remain without captain Bruno Guimaraes as he recovers from a hamstring injury, while Lewis Miley is not expected to return from a muscle issue that has kept him out since the league phase finale against PSG until the return leg at Camp Nou. Defender Fabian Schar (ankle) is unlikely to return until April.
The key question for Newcastle surrounds whether Tino Livramento will be fit enough to start at right-back having played a cameo role against City upon returning from a hamstring problem. If not, Trippier will likely start. Jacob Ramsey should return in midfield after missing the City game through suspension.
Barca are set to again be without full-backs Jules Kounde and Alejandro Balde. Frenkie de Jong is out with a hamstring issue, while Gavi remains sidelined with a long-term knee problem.
Predicted line-ups for Newcastle v Barcelona
Newcastle: Ramsdale; Trippier, Thiaw, Botman, Hall; Ramsey, Tonali, Joelinton; Barnes, Elanga, Gordon.
Barcelona: Joan Garcia; Cancelo, Cubarsi, Eric Garcia, Gerard Martin; Pedri, Bernal; Yamal, Fermin, Raphinha; Torres.
Where to watch Newcastle v Barcelona: TV and online streams
Newcastle v Barcelona kicks off at 8pm UK time. It will be broadcast on Amazon Prime Video.
Stats for Newcastle v Barcelona
- Newcastle have faced Barcelona five times before in Europe, each coming in the Champions League. The Magpies’ only victory came in the first clash, 3-2 at home in the group stage in September 1997, with Barca winning each of the following four games.
- Barcelona have faced English opposition 33 times in the knockout stages of the Champions League, winning 10 of their last 12 matches since 2014.
- Newcastle have faced Spanish opposition in the Champions League on six occasions before, winning twice and losing four times. Both victories during that time have come at home though, 3-2 vs Barcelona in September 1997 and 2-0 vs Athletic Club back in November last year.
- Barcelona have progressed from each of their last five Champions League last-16 ties against English sides, most recently in February 2018 against Chelsea (4-1 on aggregate).
- Newcastle are on their longest ever unbeaten run in the Champions League (5 games – W3 D2), and have only lost one of their last nine matches in the competition (W6 D2): 1-2 away to Marseille in November 2025.
- Coming into the round of 16 ties, Newcastle have been in a winning game state for longer than any other team in the Champions League this season (565:36). In fact, this is the longest any team has been in any of the three possible game states (WDL) in the current tournament.
- Marcus Rashford has the joint-most goal involvements (8) and goals (5) for Barcelona in the Champions League this season (level with Fermín López in both). Rashford has also been directly involved in six goals in seven career matches against Newcastle at St. James’ Park (4 goals, 2 assists), including a brace there earlier this season in the league phase.
- Anthony Gordon has scored 10 goals for Newcastle in the Champions League this season – the only players to net more times for an English side in a single edition of the European Cup/Champions League are Erling Haaland (12 for Manchester City in 2022-23) and Ruud van Nistelrooy (12 for Manchester United in 2002-03).
Prediction for Newcastle v Barcelona
Newcastle
Barcelona
Newcastle have tended to raise their game in the Champions League, and performances across all competitions have improved in recent times. Still, they struggle defensively and Barca have immense firepower, making a clean sheet unlikely.
The Magpies, though, have the second-leading scorer in the Champions League this season in Anthony Gordon and, against a Barca backline dealing with injuries, the stage could be set for him to deliver a memorable victory
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