Newcastle United latest news: Nick Woltemade is aiming to impress when he makes his first ever appearance in the Champions League when the Magpies host Barcelona.
Nick Woltemade got his Newcastle United career off to the perfect start on Saturday when he netted just 29 minutes into his debut. Woltemade’s header would ultimately earn his side all three points and lift them up to tenth in the Premier League table.
Securing that win was vitally important for Eddie Howe’s side as they begin preparations for a busy few weeks that will see them play midweek and weekend football in the Premier League, Champions League and Carabao Cup before the October international break. Barcelona are, of course, up next for the Magpies at St James’ Park on Thursday in what looks to be a tantalising encounter on Tyneside.
That game will not only mark Newcastle United’s bow in the competition, two years since their last appearance, but also potential debuts for some of Howe’s squad. One of those could be Woltemade.
Nick Woltemade’s potential Champions League debut
Despite playing for a Champions League team in the form of Stuttgart last season, Woltemade was not included in their Champions League squad. That means that the German international’s first taste of Champions League could come on Tyneside this week.
With Barcelona, one of the world’s biggest footballing institutions and someone that the Magpies have European history against, it is set to be the perfect storm for Woltemade to impress again.
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“It's such a nice game,” Woltemade said when asked about the prospect of facing the Catalan giants on Thursday. “It's my first Champions League game at home, and here, against Barcelona, it just can't be better. I'm really looking forward to it.”
Yoane Wissa is expected to remain sidelined on Thursday after he picked up a knee injury whilst on international duty with DR Congo. That injury is likely to keep Wissa out of action until at least the next international break.
Anthony Gordon is eligible to play on Thursday, but an impressive debut from Woltemade is likely to be enough to keep him in Howe’s starting XI. The Magpies know they must make full use of home advantage during the league phase of the Champions League if they are to progress to the knockout rounds for the first time in their history.
To do that, they must harness the atmosphere that St James’ Park will generate on Thursday and maximise all the quality the squad possesses: “We have a good team, this is an amazing club with such a nice stadium, good fans and good players, good team spirit I think.” Woltemade added.
“I've been here for [just a few] days but I feel the spirit is really good here, and it's difficult to say how we will go, but right now I can say we have such a good team spirit and want to keep going.”
Newcastle United’s clash against Barcelona will kick-off at 8pm at St James’ Park on Thursday night. All of their Champions League games in the league phase, both home and away, will kick-off at 8pm UK time except for their clash against Union Saint-Gilloise in Belgium which will get underway at 5:45pm UK time.
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