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

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For the second time in six months, St James' Park will play host to Barcelona as Newcastle United welcome the Spanish giants for Tuesday’s Champions League last-16 first leg. The Magpies earned their place in the knockouts by defeating Qarabag in the playoff round, while Hansi Flick’s Barcelona secured direct qualification by finishing fifth in the league phase.

More than four years after Newcastle’s Saudi-backed takeover, the club has experienced mixed fortunes both on and off the pitch. However, under Eddie Howe, Newcastle have reached new heights in Europe, advancing to the Champions League knockout stages for the first time in their history after finishing 12th in the league phase. Their progression was sealed with a dominant 6-1 win in the first leg against Qarabag, making the 3-2 second-leg victory a mere formality.

Domestically, Newcastle’s form has been turbulent. They recently suffered a 3-2 home defeat to Everton, managed a gritty 2-1 win over Manchester United with 10 men, and were knocked out of the FA Cup by Manchester City in a 3-1 loss. Howe’s future at the club remains uncertain as consistency continues to elude his side, but Newcastle have been entertaining, both scoring and conceding in each of their last 12 matches across all competitions.

On the other hand, Barcelona arrive as seasoned Champions League campaigners, looking to surpass last season’s semi-final exit to Inter Milan. Their league-phase matches were high-scoring affairs, with 36 goals in total—22 for and 14 against—matching Borussia Dortmund for the most goals in the group stage. Defensive frailties were exposed, particularly at Stamford Bridge, but Flick has since tightened the backline. Barcelona’s 1-0 win over Athletic Bilbao at the weekend marked their eighth clean sheet of 2026, second only to Inter Milan among Europe’s top five leagues this year.

Barcelona are currently on a four-match winning streak in all competitions, although their 3-0 Copa del Rey victory over Atletico Madrid was not enough to overturn a heavy first-leg deficit. Historically, Barcelona have a strong record against English opposition at this stage, winning their last five Champions League last-16 ties against Premier League clubs. Flick’s side also claimed a 2-1 win at St James’ Park in September’s league phase, with Manchester United loanee Marcus Rashford scoring both goals.

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Newcastle’s high-profile signings Nick Woltemade and Sandro Tonali were both able to start Saturday’s defeat to Manchester City after overcoming illness and a thigh injury, respectively. Eddie Howe will also have Jacob Ramsey available again following his return from a domestic suspension for Tuesday’s match. Tino Livramento, who recently recovered from a thigh problem, is fit and ready after featuring in the FA Cup loss. However, Newcastle remain without Emil Krafth (knee), Lewis Miley (thigh), Fabian Schar (ankle), and key midfielder Bruno Guimaraes (thigh) for the visit of Barcelona.

Anthony Gordon, who came off the bench in the second half against Man City and is already Newcastle’s top scorer in a single Champions League campaign thanks to his four goals against Qarabag, is expected to return to the starting lineup along with several other regulars.

For Barcelona, Marc Bernal caused a scare when he was substituted at halftime against Athletic Bilbao, but his withdrawal was due to stomach issues and he is expected to be available on Tuesday. The visitors will be without Alejandro Balde (hamstring), Gavi (knee), Frenkie de Jong (hamstring), Jules Kounde (hamstring), and Andreas Christensen (ACL), none of whom are likely to return for the second leg either.

Meanwhile, Lamine Yamal, who has been involved in 34 goals across 36 matches this season (19 goals, 15 assists), is set to break another record by becoming the youngest player to reach 30 Champions League appearances.

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