One of the stars of the show against Barcelona in 1997 has warned Barca that St James' Park will be on fire on Thursday night
John Beresford
John Beresford in action for Newcastle United against Barcelona in 1997
(Image: Daily Mirror)
Newcastle United legend John Beresford has told Barcelona to expect "The Alamo" at St James' Park in Thursday's powder-keg Champions League clash.
Beresford was one of the stars of the famous Newcastle side that floored the likes of Luis Figo and Rivaldo on Tyneside and memories of the iconic victory in 1997, when Tino Asprilla grabbed a hat-trick, have been stirred ever since the draw.
The Yorkshireman once fell out with Kevin Keegan and was infamously subbed in the first half against Aston Villa, but he remains a much-loved figure on Tyneside and has a role as match-day host and club ambassador these days.
Barca will touch down after a 6-0 win over Valencia in La Liga, but Beresford has warned: "It'll be like The Alamo for Barca!
"I've played at the Nou Camp, Old Trafford, the old Highbury or up at Ibrox, but I promise you I have never heard noise like that night against Barcelona.
"It just hits different, it will be electric and Barca won't know what day it is.
"The danger for Newcastle is that they get swept up with it, and even when we beat Barca in 1997, you find yourself bursting at the seams as we flew into a 3-0 lead after 49 minutes!
"They came back and we burnt ourselves out, and Barca could have nicked it, and by that time we were running on empty, as you are running like a lunatic.
"Eddie won't be able to hold the lads back, but there will be a time when they need to manage the game."
The Newcastle United line up against Barcelona in 1997
Newcastle United's line up against Barcelona in 1997
Beresford, who was actually Newcastle's top scorer in the Champions League between 1997 and 2003 with four goals, said: "I'd actually scored a couple in the play-offs to qualify for the group stages against Dinamo Zagreb, so found myself at the top table for the UEFA Press conference alongside Luis Figo and Louis van Gaal!
"When we drew Barcelona, Kenny Dalglish pulled me to one side and said: 'Do you mind doing the Presser John?'
"I would never normally get asked to do it, but I'd scored a couple in the play-off. It was usually the big boys like Alan Shearer or Tino Asprilla. But he pulled me and I said: 'Yeah no problem'. "Anyway, I walked on to the stage and sitting on the seat next to me was Figo!
"He was probably thinking: 'Who's this little ****', but it really set the game up, and they are unbelievable memories for me. I was then directly up against Figo in the game, which was something else. "I will remember that atmosphere for the rest of the days, the place was rocking."
Deep in the concourses of the Milburn Stand at St James' Park hangs a mural of Asprilla celebrating his hat-trick against Barca but Beresford hopes that the time has come for new memories.
Beresford said: "History seems to be replicated with this one, and it is great for the club.
"For me, it is great to reminisce about that Barca game when we won 3-2, and it is just a brilliant memory because Tino Asprilla was on fire that night with his hat-trick!
"We celebrated that win like there was no tomorrow because of the stature of Barca and where we'd come from just a few years earlier in the Second Division, we'd gone from beating Barnsley to Barca! Now I just hope for a similar result.
"The current Barca team ain't bad, but we were up against Figo, Rivaldo, Luis Enrique and De La Pena, it was frightening really!
"But we got the result and probably started the game disrespecting them in some ways."
Eddie Howe has stated in recent days that Newcastle learned lessons from their Champions League campaign in 2023, but the 4-1 hammering against Paris St-Germain is still mentioned frequently by the younger generation.
Now Beresford wants a similar atmosphere and said: "I remember the PSG game a couple of years ago and I was looking around the way Newcastle started that game and their captain Marquinhos was like a rabbit in headlights.
"In the first minute, they started playing from the back, and Dan Burn and Anthony Gordon steamed into early tackles, and PSG just froze.
"They couldn't cope with the atmosphere, energy, and tempo of what St James' Park can conjure up, and the current Barca team will find it no different."
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