Champions League nights are back at St James’ Park this Thursday night in what promises to be a cracking clash between Newcastle and Spanish champions Barcelona, who go head-to-head for the first time since 2003.
Barcelona reached the Champions League semi-finals last season, where they lost a 7-6 thriller on aggregate to Inter Milan, while Newcastle return to the competition after a one-year absence.
Newcastle vs Barcelona Prediction & Tips
Raphinha To Score @ 7/4 with Sky Bet
Raphinha won the Champions League Golden Boot last season – alongside Serhou Guirassy – after he netted a whopping 13 goals in the competition. The former Leeds star warmed up for Thursday’s game in style after he bagged a brace in Sunday’s 6-0 win over Valencia.
Nick Woltemade 1+ Headed Shot On Target @ 9/4 with Sky Bet
Powered home a fine header against Wolves on his debut and will look to be in the thick of the goalmouth action on Thursday, with a headed shot on target an appealing price.
Bruno Guimaraes To Be Booked @ 11/4 with Sky Bet
The Newcastle skipper has picked up three yellows already this season for club and country and is likely to be in store for a testing night in the middle of the park.
Newcastle Form & Team Setup
Newcastle picked up their first win of the season at the fourth attempt, edging past Wolves 1-0. That result followed draws against Aston Villa and Leeds, with a narrow 3-2 loss to champions Liverpool in between.
While they no longer have Alexander Isak to lead the line, a new fan favourite may be emerging in Nick Woltemade, who marked his debut with the match-winning goal against Wolves. The striker is expected to spearhead the attack again on Thursday, with Anthony Gordon also in line to return, as his suspension only applies to Premier League fixtures.
Yoane Wissa misses out through injury, while Joelinton and Jacob Ramsey remain doubts ahead of the clash.
Barcelona Form & Team Setup
While wins have been hard to come by for Newcastle, Barcelona have hit the ground running, collecting 10 points from their first four league matches, which includes a 6-0 romping of Valencia over the weekend.
Fermin Lopez, Raphinha, and Robert Lewandowski all bagged braces in that victory and will be pushing for starting spots on Thursday. Marcus Rashford – still searching for his first goal since joining on loan from Manchester United – will also be hoping to feature against a familiar opponent he has a respectable record against.
However, Barcelona are dealing with several injury setbacks, with Lamine Yamal out, while Frenkie de Jong, Gavi, and Marc-Andre ter Stegen are big doubts.
Head-to-Head Battles and What the Stats Reveal
Newcastle fans will fondly remember their iconic 3-2 victory over Barcelona in 1997, when Faustino Asprilla stunned the Spanish giants with a memorable hat-trick at St James’ Park.
Since then, the sides have met three more times, with Barcelona winning all three: 1-0 and 3-1 at home, and a 2-0 win in Newcastle in their most recent clash 22 years ago.
Both teams have scored in two of the four meetings and over 2.5 goals has also landed in two of those games.
Last 4 Meetings
| Date | Match Result | Competition |
| 19/03/03 | Newcastle 0-2 Barcelona | Champions League |
| 11/12/02 | Barcelona 3-1 Newcastle | Champions League |
| 26/11/97 | Barcelona 1-0 Newcastle | Champions League |
| 17/09/97 | Newcastle 3-2 Newcastle | Champions League |
Key Battles on the Pitch
Bruno Guimaraes vs Pedri
The two talented central midfielders will battle it out for dominance in the middle of the park as they each bid to control the game and trigger attacking play.
Kieran Trippier vs Raphinha
Trippier will need to draw on all of his experience as he attempts to neutralise the threat of the in-form Raphina, who possesses the panache and pace to trouble any defence.
Nick Woltemade vs Barcelona centre-backs
Newcastle’s new 6’6” striker scored on his Newcastle debut over the weekend and will now be bidding to ruffle Barcelona feathers with his physicality, aerial presence, and link-up play.