This is it. The most important match of Newcastle United’s season is here, and it doesn’t get much bigger than this.
Barcelona at home in the last 16 of the UEFA Champions League, with the first leg feeling vital if we’re to have any chance of dumping out the La Liga giants at the Nou Camp next Wednesday.
With Man City dumping us out of both the Carabao and FA Cup in recent weeks, and our Premier League hopes hanging by a thread as we sit 12th and five points behind 7th, there is so much riding on this one.
The Catalans beat us 2-1 in this fixture back in September, with a Marcus Rashford brace settling our opening game of the eight-match league phase, but we’ll be hoping a different script is written this time and a repeat of that famous night in 1997.
Saturday’s cup exit was a flat and frustrating affair. A product of our lack of squad depth? Our struggle to maintain high standards in the midst of a busy schedule? A sobering reminder of the quality gap between Eddie Howe an his players vs Pep Guardiola and Man City? All may be true, and some believe we played the game with one eye on Barcelona.
Either way, we’ll have to be at it on Tuesday night if we’re to get the better of a frightening Barca side who sit top of La Liga after scoring 72 goals in 27 league games. They may arrive with a few injury absentees, but stopping Lamine Yamal and Raphinha will be no mean feat. Let’s just hope we give them enough to worry about at the other end after missed chances proved to be our downfall when the two sides last met at St James’ Park!
Speaking ahead of the game, Howe said:
> “There’s only 16 teams left and we’re one of them. It’s very much an opportunity to grab a moment that we may never get again, you don’t know what life brings.
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> ”We don’t want to waste the opportunity and have what ifs. In my time here, just over four years, we’ve worked to get to this point. We want to get as close as we can to our very best.”
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> “We’re going to need a big, big physical effort tomorrow. Another short turnaround after a big game against Manchester City where we had a lot of running to do. No excuses, the players will be ready.”
Team news
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Anthony Gordon, Joelinton, Dan Burn, Jacob Murphy and Tino Livramento all trained on Monday, but there will be no Lewis Miley, Bruno Guimaraes, Fabian Schar or Emil Krafth once again.
Both Joelinton and Burn are one booking away from a ban, meaning they’ll miss next week’s trip to the Nou Camp if cautioned in this one.
For Barcelona, they are without Alejandro Balde, Jules Kounde, Frenkie De Jong, Andreas Christensen and Gavi, but striker Robert Lewandowski is back in the squad.
Predicted XI
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(4-3-3) Ramsdale _– Trippier, Thiaw, Burn, Hall – Ramsey, Tonali, Joelinton – Elanga, Gordon, Barnes._
I’d like to see Livramento play in this one, but I’m not sure he’ll be thrown straight back into the team when up against such high level opposition.
I expect Burn, Joelinton and Gordon to return after partial rests on Saturday, with the latter played in a false nine role to press and (hopefully) burst past Barca’s high line.
Match prediction
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I think we’ll cause them problems and score a couple, but keeping them out at the other end is the major challenge.
With Yamal in incredible form, Raphinha top class and their technical midfield capable of bypassing our press if we’re not ‘on it’, I can’t see us keeping them out.
However, with both of their starting full-backs out and the atmosphere set to be electric in one of the biggest games St James’ Park have seen, I think we’ll come away with a score draw.
**Prediction:** Newcastle 2-2 Barcelona
Howay the lads!