Most of the current Newcastle United team were part of that famous victory against Paris Saint-Germain, as they attempt to make history again versus Barcelona.
The Champions League is back at St James’ Park, giving Eddie Howe another chance to create a moment that will last a lifetime.
First up for the Magpies is Barcelona. It is an iconic fixture against one of the biggest clubs in the world.
Newcastle United know they can get a result. They have done it in the past, with Newcastle beating PSG in 2023. That 4-1 victory is considered one of the club’s best ever, with two local lads finding the back of the net in Dan Burn and Sean Longstaff.
They also had Jamaal Lascelles at the heart of their defence, a player who had been with Newcastle United in the Championship. Suddenly he was captaining his side to victory in the Champions League, keeping a superstar like Kylian Mbappe quiet.
Jamaal Lascelles will not make more Champions League history for Newcastle United
Lascelles’ performance against PSG was absolutely sensational. Having seen his role reduced in recent years, it was thrilling to see him thrive on Europe’s biggest stage.
Fast forward two years and Newcastle have the chance to pick up another historic victory in Europe’s elite competition. However, there will be no Lascelles.
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The 31-year-old will not even be in the Newcastle United squad, with Eddie Howe unable to name him on the bench. That is because Lascelles is not in Newcastle’s Champions League squad, having been left out of the 21-man group.
It is a huge shame for Lascelles, who is still the Magpies’ club captain despite Bruno Guimaraes wearing the armband on the pitch.
Instead, Eddie Howe will likely deploy Dan Burn and Fabian Schar at centre-back, with Sven Botman and Malick Thiaw providing backup.
Jamaal Lascelles trains alongside Kieran Trippier ahead of Newcastle United vs Barcelona in the Champions League.
Photo by George Wood/Getty Images
Every senior Newcastle United player missing Barcelona
Lascelles will not feature against Barcelona or any of Newcastle’s Champions League opponents.
The same goes for John Ruddy and Mark Gillespie, who were also not included in Eddie Howe’s squad for the league phase of the competition.
Elsewhere, Yoane Wissa and Jacob Ramsey will not play against Barcelona. The summer signings are unavailable due to injury, with Wissa and Ramsey suffering from knee and ankle problems respectively.
They are also set to miss Newcastle’s second Champions League game against Union Saint-Gilloise on 1st October, but should be fit in time for the home match versus Benfica on 21st October. That game should see Jose Mourinho return to St James’ Park, as he prepares to become the new Benfica manager.