Eddie Howe, Head Coach of Newcastle United speaks to the media ahead of the UEFA Champions League match against Benfica at St James' Park on October 20, 2025 in Newcastle upon Tyne, England.placeholder image
Eddie Howe, Head Coach of Newcastle United speaks to the media ahead of the UEFA Champions League match against Benfica at St James' Park on October 20, 2025 in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. | Getty Images
Newcastle United return to Champions League action this week and have one player at risk of suspension in the competition.
Newcastle United will be looking to make it three wins in a row in the Champions League when they host Athletic Club at St James’ Park on Wednesday (8pm kick-off).
The Magpies have picked up six points from their opening three Champions League group phase matches and head into matchday four sitting eighth in the table.
A top eight finish guarantees progress to the last-16 of the competition while finishing ninth to 24th sees clubs advance to a seeded play-off tie.
NUFC back in Champions League action
After losing 2-1 to Barcelona in September, The Magpies picked up their biggest ever win in the competition, a 4-0 victory against Union Saint-Gilloise in Brussels before following it up with a 3-0 win over Jose Mourinho’s Benfica at St James’ Park last month.
They now face Athletic Club before trips to Marseille and Bayer Leverkusen in November and December, respectively. In the new year, The Magpies host PSV Eindhoven in their final group phase matches before travelling to face holders Paris Saint-Germain.
Newcastle have a few injury concerns heading into the match with Tino Livramento and Yoane Wissa still out with knee injuries. Lewis Hall returned on the bench against West Ham United on Sunday but didn’t get on the pitch as he is yet to fully recover from his hamstring injury picked up against Union Saint-Gilloise.
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UEFA rules set to ban Newcastle United star - on one condition
Newcastle midfielder Joelinton was left out of the starting line-up for Newcastle’s 3-0 win over Benfica last month.
The Brazilian had been booked in each of United’s opening two group phase matches and, as a result, was only one booking away from a ban.
Although he got on the pitch in the second half against Benfica, he was able to keep his discipline in check and avoid a further yellow card.
Joelinton is set to be available for the Athletic Club match but could miss one of The Magpies’ following Champions League matches due to suspension.
Should the Brazilian pick up another yellow card in Newcastle’s remaining five group phase matches, he will be banned for one match. Given his predisposition to picking up bookings, a Champions League ban appears likely for the Brazilian.
Joelinton is also one booking away from suspension in the Carabao Cup, but has only been booked twice in the Premier League. In order to be banned in the Premier League, Joelinton would have to pick up a further three bookings before matchday 20.
The 29-year-old was booked in the 28th minute of Newcastle’s defeat to Barcelona, before being shown a 35th-minute yellow card in Belgium.
Dan Burn and Malick Thiaw are the only other Magpies players who have been shown a yellow card in the Champions League this season. The pair would have to be booked a further two times in order to face a ban.
The only exception is if they were to be shown a red card, as is the same with any player.
However, in the event of a serious offence the UEFA Control, Ethics and Disciplinary Body is entitled to augment this punishment, including by extending it to other competitions or increasing the length of the ban in the competition.
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