Who: Newcastle United vs Barcelona
What: Champions League last 16, first leg
Where: St James’ Park, Newcastle, England
When: Tuesday, March 10 at 8pm (20:00 GMT)
How to follow: We’ll have all the build-up on Al Jazeera Sport from 17:00 GMT in advance of our live text commentary stream.
Newcastle United will make only their second appearance in the Champions League last 16 when La Liga leaders arrive on Tyneside for a highly anticipated first leg clash.
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For the first time since 2002-03, when they reached the second group phase, Newcastle are one of the 16 clubs remaining in a Champions League campaign.
But having eased past Azerbaijani underdogs Qarabag in the playoff round, Newcastle – currently languishing in 12th place in the Premier League – will have to make a significant step up in class to stun Hansi Flick’s star-studded Barcelona team.
The Catalan club come into the game off the back of a hard-fought win over Athletic Bilbao at the weekend that restored their four-point lead at the top of La Liga.
‘It’s a massive game in our history’
Newcastle boss Eddie Howe has challenged his side to produce the performance of a lifetime as they aim to win one of the biggest games in the club’s history against Barcelona on Tuesday.
“We’ve never been in this position in the Champions League before, and it’s the best competition there is, so for obvious reasons it’s a massive game in our history,” Howe said.
“We need to approach it that way, and we need the supporters to think that way.”
Newcastle famously beat Barca 3-2 thanks to a Faustino Asprilla hat-trick in the clubs’ first Champions League meeting in 1997.
That was the peak of the Magpies’ brief spell as the Premier League’s great entertainers.
Decades in the doldrums followed, reducing the club to laughing stock status under unpopular former owner Mike Ashley. Those dark days included two relegations to the second tier in 2009 and 2016.
Starved of success for so long, Newcastle have enjoyed a welcome renaissance since their Saudi owners took charge in 2021.
Last season, Newcastle ended a 56-year trophy drought by beating Liverpool in the League Cup final.
Now they are hoping to reach the Champions League quarterfinals for the first time.
‘We need to try to find some energy’
Beating the five-time European champions would be a huge moment in Newcastle’s history, especially as their progress has been in danger of stalling this season.
Newcastle are in the bottom half of the Premier League, and they were knocked out of the FA Cup fifth round by Manchester City on Saturday.
Saturday’s game was Newcastle’s 47th of the season and 19th in 63 days, a gruelling schedule that has taken a toll on a squad depleted by injuries.
Howe will try to assemble a new lineup against Barcelona, having rested Dan Burn, Joelinton and Anthony Gordon for the Manchester City clash.
“I don’t think we’ve got the strength at the moment to make loads of changes and keep the same strength in our performance,” Howe conceded.
“We need to try to find some energy from somewhere that will elevate our performance to a level that we’ve not seen before this season because I think that’s the only way we’ll get through.”
Yamal ‘only going to get better’
Having already beaten Newcastle 2-1 at St James’ Park in the league phase thanks to a Marcus Rashford brace and without teenage star Lamine Yamal, Barcelona will be confident when heading to Tyneside.
Yamal made the difference in the La Liga win over the weekend, curling the ball into the top corner after 68 minutes to split the sides at Athletic’s San Mames stadium.
“We’re already seeing what Lamine can do – he puts it right in the top corner, and there’s nothing the keeper can do,” Barca midfielder Pedri told Movistar.
“He’s very young, and he’s only going to get better.
“What he has to do is not settle, to keep going like this, keep working and enjoying himself out there on the pitch, because he gives us a lot.”
Flick takes positives from tricky Athletic win
Barca coach Hansi Flick rotated his side, with Tuesday’s visit to face Newcastle in the Champions League last 16 looming.
As a result, his team put in a disjointed first-half display, creating little and looking far from their free-flowing best.
“Everyone was fighting, defending as a unit, and we have a clean sheet again, and that’s really important,” Flick told reporters, focusing on the positives.
“One game less and three points more, it’s a perfect situation.”
What happened the last time the sides met?
Rashford scored his first goals for Barcelona as the England forward’s brilliant brace inspired a 2-1 win over Newcastle in the Champions League back in September.
He struck twice in the space of nine minutes in the second half at St James’ Park to make a memorable return to England following his loan move from Manchester United in July.
Anthony Gordon got one back for Newcastle in the closing stages, but it was too late to salvage a point in their Champions League group phase opener.
Head-to-head
The two clubs have faced each other on five occasions, all in the Champions League. While the Magpies won the first encounter back in 1997, they have lost the subsequent four games.
- September 18, 2025: Newcastle United 1-2 Barcelona (Champions League league stage)
- March 19, 2003: Newcastle United 0-2 Barcelona (Champions League group stage)
- December 11, 2002: Barcelona 3-1 Newcastle United (Champions League group stage)
- November 26, 1997: Barcelona 1-0 Newcastle United (Champions League group stage)
- September 17, 1997: Newcastle United 3-2 Barcelona (Champions League group stage)
Newcastle’s team news
Emil Krafth, Lewis Miley, Fabian Schar, and key midfielder Bruno Guimaraes will all miss the game due to injuries.
However, this week Howe has been able to welcome back the likes of Nick Woltemade, Sandro Tonali and Tino Livramento from injuries or illness.
Predicted starting XI:
Pope (goalkeeper); Trippier, Thiaw, Botman, Hall; Willock, Tonali, Joelinton; Barnes, Wissa, Gordon
Barcelona’s team news
Frenkie de Jong, Jules Kounde, Alejandro Balde, and Andreas Christensen have all been ruled out with injuries, while Gavi is unlikely to feature as he continues to work towards full fitness after a knee problem that has kept him out since August.
Predicted starting XI:
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