Newcastle United are back in Champions League action against Benfica at St James’ Park tonight (8pm kick-off).
The Magpies will be hoping to put their Premier League struggles to one side and make it back-to-back wins in the Champions League following the 4-0 victory over Union Saint-Gilliose last time out in the competition.
But Newcastle have lost each of their last three Champions League matches at St James’ Park since the 4-1 victory over Paris Saint-Germain in October 2023. A 1-0 defeat to Borussia Dortmund and 2-1 defeat to AC Milan followed at St James’ Park that season before Newcastle opened their current Champions League campaign with a 2-1 defeat to Barcelona last month.
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Newcastle United aim dig at Sunderland in Champions League preview
Newcastle’s Champions League matches have been accompanied by ‘Club 18-92’ social media posts via the club’s official channels. The ‘Club 18-92’ videos feature Newcastle players such as Dan Burn, Sandro Tonali, Joelinton and Bruno Guimaraes in a parody of old tourism adverts from the 80s and 90s.
The latest ‘Club 18-92’ video welcomed Benfica to Newcastle and, in typical tongue-in-cheek fashion, advised travelling fans to ‘look no further than our amazing bridges’.
Images of the Scotswood Bridge, Newburn Bridge and the Tyne Bridge followed before an image of the Monkwearmouth Railway Bridge in Sunderland was met with a record scratch and the narrator stating: “No need to go across this one, there’s no Champions League over there.”
The word ‘shan’ (slang for unfair or harsh) then popped up on the screen in a reminder that Sunderland have never played in the Champions League or European Cup in their history. The Black Cats’ European history is limited to just four Cup Winners’ Cup matches in the 1973/74 season.
Sunderland supporters hit back at Newcastle United post
While Newcastle supporters are preparing for another Champions League night at St James’ Park, Sunderland fans were quick to hit back at the club on social media.
One Sunderland fan posted a picture of the Premier League table, showing Newcastle sitting 14th with nine points after eight games. Meanwhile, Sunderland sit seventh on 14 points.
Another Sunderland fan wrote: “Let’s talk about a bridge that not even Sunderland care about. What about the fact they’re seven places higher than us? Aye, but we’ve got the bridge cup.”
Newcastle also have the Carabao Cup to go alongside their ‘bridge cup’ and Champions League football.
Sunderland host Newcastle in the Premier League on December 14 (2pm kick-off) in the first top flight derby match since 2016. Newcastle won the last meeting between the sides 3-0 in the FA Cup third round in January 2024 but they haven’t beaten Sunderland in the league since August 2011.
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