Barcelona take on the visitors Newcastle in the second leg of UEFA Champions League round of 1/8-finals. First leg result: 1-1. The match will be played on Wednesday, March 18th at Camp Nou (Barcelona).
Barcelona are used to setting the highest possible goals. In the 2024/2025 season, already under Flick, they managed to collect a full set of domestic trophies in Spain. It seemed realistic to repeat that success. Recently Barcelona have shown inconsistent results across competitions, struggling to maintain the same dominance they had last season. Their schedule has also become more demanding, which has clearly affected their ability to deliver consistently strong performances. However, after confidently winning the Super Cup with victories over Athletic Bilbao and Real Madrid, more than a club then faced a real cold shower. In the Copa del Rey against Atlético Madrid they were crushed 0–4 in Madrid. After that they scored three times at home — but it was still not enough. In La Liga they have also already lost their lead. There have been slip-ups in the Champions League as well: they lost at home to Paris Saint-Germain, were held to a draw by Club Brugge, and even suffered a heavy 0–3 defeat to Chelsea. Nevertheless, they still collected enough points to finish in the top eight of the main round.
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Newcastle United still cannot reach a consistently high level. Once again they have failed to replicate their 2024/2025 form, when they managed to win the League Cup and also edged Aston Villa out of 5th place in the Premier League. Recently Newcastle have been inconsistent in the league, frequently dropping points and struggling to move closer to the European qualification spots. Their away form has also been unreliable, which has made it difficult for them to climb higher in the standings. In the League Cup they reached the semifinals but then lost twice to Manchester City. In the Premier League they are trying to keep their chances of European qualification alive, but there have been too many slip-ups, and overall the black-and-whites are stuck in mid-table. Against this backdrop, their Champions League campaign has been relatively successful. In the main round they won four matches and collected 14 points. In February they also enjoyed themselves against Qarabağ, highlighted by a 6–1 away victory. At home against the Catalans they almost won, but after scoring late, they immediately conceded.
After winning their very first meeting back in 1997, the English side have only lost since then — including earlier this autumn in the current campaign. Maybe more than a club are not at their peak right now. But still, the expectation is that Hansi Flick’s side will win the return leg in regular time.
Prediction for the match: Barcelona to win.
