Barcelona vs Newcastle United
It’s all to play for in Catalonia on Wednesday night.
Yes, the majority of fans expect Spanish champions Barcelona to see off the spirited challenge of Newcastle in their iconic Nou Camp stadium. Yet while I think Hansi Flick’s team will prevail in the Champions League last 16, I think it will be closer than many expect.
Talking Points
As it stands, the sides are level pegging after the first leg. In fact, it took a 96th-minute penalty from teenager sensation Lamine Yamal to rescue a 1-1 draw for Barca a week ago, as he cancelled out Harvey Barnes’ opener just 10 minutes earlier.
In truth, the out-of-sorts visitors were somewhat fortuitous to earn a draw, and it is hard to imagine them being so under par for a second successive week.
Since then, Flick’s men have maintained their four-point lead at the La Liga summit, thanks in large part to a Raphinha hat-trick. The Brazilian forward’s treble, two of which came from the penalty spot, added to goals from Dani Olmo and João Cancelo in a 5-2 home win over Sevilla.
Yamal may not have been on the scoresheet at the weekend, named on the substitutes bench due to illness, but he is definitely one to watch. The 18-year-old has 19 goals so far this term and previously grabbed the winner at Athletic Bilbao, hot on the heels of netting a first career hat-trick against Villarreal. He is now just one goal away from equalling Kylian Mbappe’s record for the most Champions League goals scored before turning 19 (10).
The hosts will be without Jules Kounde, Frenkie de Jong, Alejandro Balde (all hamstring), and Andreas Christensen (knee) as they continue to recover.
Newcastle have key absences of their own, most notably captain Bruno Guimaraes (hamstring) and Fabian Schar (ankle).
Italian midfielder Sandro Tonali will be assessed after illness, and don’t be surprised to see the likes of Joelinton, Anthony Elanga, and Yoane Wissa handed starting places after they were left on the bench in the Premier League at the weekend.
That was when the Magpies secured a morale-boosting victory by defeating Chelsea at Stamford Bridge for the first time since 2012. Anthony Gordon, who started the first leg on the bench, scored the only goal of the game.
History
Newcastle and Barcelona have faced each other just six times in history, with each encounter taking place in the Champions League over the past three decades.
The very first meeting between the two teams took place at St. James’ Park in September 1997, and it was the Magpies, managed by Kenny Dalglish, who prevailed against Louis van Gaal’s side in a five-goal thriller, courtesy of a stunning hat-trick from Faustino Asprilla.
Fast forward a couple of months, and Barcelona had the last laugh as Giovanni Silva, set up by Pep Guardiola, netted the only goal in the Nou Camp.
Another five years followed by which time ex-Barca boss Sir Bobby Robson was in the Newcastle dugout.
What was then known as the second group stage – another unnecessary change to the format in this SBOTOP scribe’s humble opinion – saw Van Gaal in charge of the Catalans for a second spell and the Dutchman steered his side to a 3-1 home victory in December 2002, thanks to goals from Dani Garcia, future Magpie Patrick Kluivert, and Thiago Motta. Shola Ameobi was on the scoresheet for the visitors.
Three months later, and Barca were victors once more with second-half goals from Kluivert and Motta sealing a 2-0 win on Tyneside.
Over 20 years later, the two teams finally matched up once again, with Barcelona securing a 2-1 group phase victory earlier this season, thanks to a stunning brace from Marcus Rashford. Last week’s first leg was the first-ever draw between the sides.
Betting Tip
The Champions League 2026 highlights on Wednesday night will belong to Barca, according to our Champions League 2026 betting odds.
The hosts can be backed via 1X2 @ 1.50 and Asian Handicap -1.25 @ 2.14.
The Geordies, meanwhile, are attractively placed, including 1X2 @ 4.79 and Asian Handicap +0.75 @ 2.28. The draw, which would lead to extra time, is on offer @ 4.40, whereas another 1-1 will pay out @ 9.60 with Correct Score.
There has never been a goalless draw between the sides, and I am not expecting one now either. While I have considered total goal 2-3 @ 2.36 and 4-6 @ 2.24, my bet is going to be Half Time Full Time Draw Home @ 5.10.
A SHORT EXPLANATION ON HOW OUR (⭐) BETS ARE WORTH:
⭐⭐⭐= €20 (HIGHLY CONFIDENT)
⭐⭐= €10 (CONFIDENT)
⭐= €5 (SOMEWHAT CONFIDENT)
Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
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