Newcastle United head coach Eddie Howe has provided a team news update ahead of Thursday’s Champions League match against Barcelona at St James’ Park.
The opening Champions League group phase match at St James’ Park will see Newcastle face the five-time European Cup winners almost exactly 28 years on from their first ever game in the competition against the same opposition.
Newcastle won that game 3-2 thanks to a Tino Asprilla hat-trick but have since lost each of the last three meetings against the Catalan club.
While The Magpies will welcome back Anthony Gordon from a two-match suspension absence, Eddie Howe’s side remain without summer signings Wissa and Ramsey.
And ahead of the match against Barcelona, Howe provided a team news update.
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Eddie Howe issues Yoane Wissa & NUFC team news update
Howe confirmed that Wissa will be out for at least another month due to a knee injury picked up on international duty with DR Congo earlier this month.
The forward joined The Magpies on deadline day from Brentford for £55million but has had his debut delayed due to injury.
Providing an update on Wissa’s injury situation, Howe said: “Yoane will, we hope, be back after the next international break. So that's the plan.
“That’s Brighton, so that can always change, and it's always flexible.”
Howe could also put Gordon back into the starting line-up after the winger missed the last two matches due to suspension.
“Yeah, he's good,” Howe admitted. “Of course he's in my thoughts, he's a next-level player.You can't have enough of those so we'll look to utilise him.
“Whether we think that's from the start of the game, let's wait and see. But I think he brings a pace to our forward line, a directness that you always need.
“I think it's an important season for him and his career and we're looking forward to helping him reach his very highest levels.”
Eddie Howe previews Newcastle United v Barcelona
Looking ahead to the game, Howe added: “Absolutely, it is a historic fixture, as soon as we realised. We were drawn against Barcelona, it had a sort of magical feel to it. I think it'll be an amazing game to experience.
“Obviously we've been focusing on the tactical preparation and making sure we deliver a good performance. I'm really excited to sample the atmosphere and I think that'll just be an incredible thing again.
“There was a lot of unknowns last time [in the 2023/24 Champions League] and yes, the focus was always on trying to get through to the next round.
“So there was a feeling that we were something that all knew and we enjoyed it but ultimately we failed. So I think this time the result was stronger to try and progress and not just enjoy the experience but try and make it a meaningful one.
“We've done that historically in the past, learning from different things and then trying to add layers, whether that's our preparation or our general performance. We'll try to do so again.”
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