Barcelona vs Newcastle United Champions League preview, team news and prediction

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Nou Camp will host a decisive Champions League last-16 second leg between Barcelona and Newcastle United on Wednesday night, following a 1-1 draw in the first leg at St James’ Park. Harvey Barnes gave Newcastle a late lead before Lamine Yamal equalized for Barcelona with a stoppage-time penalty.

Barcelona coach Hansi Flick admitted his side underperformed in the first leg and has called for improvement if they are to reach the quarter-finals for a third straight year. The Catalan giants have scored in 28 of their last 29 Champions League games but have struggled defensively, failing to keep a clean sheet in their last 12 matches in the competition.

Historically, Barcelona have a strong record in two-legged ties after drawing the away leg, and they are unbeaten in their last 14 home games against English sides. They come into this match on a high after a 5-2 La Liga win over Sevilla.

Newcastle bounced back from the first-leg disappointment with a 1-0 win at Chelsea, boosting their European hopes. Manager Eddie Howe praised his team’s defensive display and hopes for a repeat of their strong first-leg performance in what is one of the club’s biggest matches in recent history.

In this season’s Champions League, Newcastle have lost only twice in 11 games, but have never progressed beyond the last 16. They have also lost four of their last five away games in Spain, setting the stage for a challenging night at Camp Nou.

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Barcelona will be without Jules Kounde, Frenkie de Jong, Alejandro Balde (all hamstring injuries), and Andreas Christensen (knee), as all continue their recoveries.

Lamine Yamal, who returned from illness to feature as a substitute against Sevilla, is expected to start on the right wing. At just 18 years and 249 days old, he is one goal away from matching Kylian Mbappe’s record of 10 Champions League goals before turning 19.

Coach Hansi Flick may consider recalling Marcus Rashford, who scored twice in Barcelona’s earlier group-stage win over Newcastle, but Raphinha—fresh off a hat-trick against Sevilla—will be tough to displace on the left flank.

For Newcastle, Bruno Guimaraes (hamstring), Lewis Miley (thigh), Fabian Schar (ankle), and Emil Krafth (knee) remain sidelined, while Sandro Tonali faces a late fitness test after missing the Chelsea match due to illness.

Anthony Gordon, who missed the first leg against Barcelona through illness, is expected to start up front after scoring at Chelsea. Only Kylian Mbappe (13) has more Champions League goals this season than Gordon (10).

Manager Eddie Howe must decide whether to recall Kieran Trippier at right-back or stick with Tino Livramento, while Anthony Elanga, Joelinton, and Dan Burn are all pushing for starts. Jacob Murphy, Nick Woltemade, and Sven Botman may drop to the bench.

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