Newcastle take on the visitors Barcelona in the round 1 match of UEFA Champions League group stage. The match will be played on Thursday, September 18th at St. James Park, Newcastle.
Newcastle United had luck on their side last season. They managed to win their first trophy in ages, lifting the EFL Cup after beating an unmotivated Liverpool in the final (having confidently eliminated Arsenal in the semis). And in spring, they scraped their way into the UEFA Champions League — fifth place was enough, and they edged Aston Villa only on tiebreakers! However, after the summer break, their start has been far from ideal. They were held to a goalless draw in Birmingham, then fought back from 0–2 down against the Merseysiders only to concede again in stoppage time, and finally ended the summer with another 0–0 against Leeds United. They clearly missed the goals of the unsettled Alexander Isak, who was eventually sold to the Reds on deadline day, with Yoane Wissa and Nick Woltemade brought in as replacements. The revamped squad drew 1–1 with Wolverhampton Wanderers in their first match together. Newcastle’s new attacking duo is still adapting, and the team is struggling to convert possession into clear chances. Their defense has remained solid, but without a reliable finisher, they risk dropping points even in winnable games.
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Barcelona are strong but not without issues. The Blaugrana have transformed under Hansi Flick. A team that won nothing under Xavi suddenly dominated domestically, beating Real Madrid to claim every possible domestic title… but stumbled against Inter Milan in the Champions League. After signing several new players in the summer (despite ongoing problems with their registration and integration), the giants started the season somewhat inconsistently. They thrashed Mallorca, but their opponents were down to ten men. Then they trailed 0–2 against newly promoted Levante and only turned it around thanks to a stoppage-time own goal. Against Rayo Vallecano they were held to a draw. After the break, they edged Valencia 2–1 with a late winner from Robert Lewandowski. Despite their individual quality, Barça’s defense still looks vulnerable under pressure, especially on set pieces. Their attack remains dangerous, but they often struggle to control the tempo away from home.
The Black and Whites won the very first meeting back in 1997. But Barcelona have taken all three encounters since then. The “more than a club” side will be the favourites, but Eddie Howe’s men will surely put up a fight at St James' Park. We back over 3.0 total goals.
Prediction for the match: Over 3.0 scored goals.
