Newcastle take on the visitors Barcelona in the first leg of UEFA Chmapions League round of 1/8-finals. The match will be played on Tuesday, March 10th at St. James' Park (Newcastle).
Newcastle have not yet managed to perform at the same top level for two consecutive years. Last season was certainly successful, with the League Cup trophy and a 5th-place finish in the Premier League. Their recent form has been somewhat inconsistent again, alternating confident performances with frustrating slip-ups in domestic competition. At the same time, their results at St James’ Park have remained fairly strong, which keeps them competitive in decisive fixtures. This time they reached the semi-finals in the first of those tournaments but lost there to Manchester City. In the league they have once again slipped back to the middle of the table, although the competition there is tight and it is too early to draw final conclusions. However, in the Champions League the English side have looked quite solid. Yes, it started with a home defeat — fittingly against the Culés, 1–2. But then they won three matches in a row and finished the main round with 14 points. Still, they were the only English club forced to play in the previous playoff round. There they enjoyed themselves against Qarabag in Baku, thrashing the hosts 6–1, and then edged a narrow shootout at home.
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Barcelona are obliged to fight on several fronts simultaneously. The More Than a Club side under Flick suffered only one serious setback last season — precisely in the Champions League, losing to Inter. At the moment they look stable again in big matches and continue to collect points confidently in domestic competition. Even when results fluctuate, the Blaugrana usually control possession and impose their rhythm, which often proves decisive over the course of a tournament. This season they managed to defend their first title, the Spanish Super Cup, with victories over Athletic and Real Madrid. However, in the Copa del Rey there was a collapse away against another long-time rival, Atlético, losing 0–4. At home they scored three goals by the middle of the second half but stopped there and were ultimately eliminated. At the same time in La Liga they lost all of their advantage and even allowed Los Blancos to move into first place — although Madrid immediately stumbled themselves. Against this backdrop the Champions League campaign has been somewhat contradictory, but overall decent. The Blaugrana had two wins and two defeats after five rounds. But then they won three matches in a row, so only now are they returning to the competition, having skipped the first playoff round unlike the other Spanish giants.
The first meeting between the teams, in autumn 1997, was won by the Magpies. However, the next four encounters — including the September match at St James’ Park — were all won by the Catalans. It is unlikely that anything in this pairing has changed dramatically in just a few months. Therefore, the pick is Flick’s side with a 0 handicap.
Prediction for the match: Barcelona to win with 0.0 handicap.
