Mar 9, 2026, 07:06 PM
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Eddie Howe has challenged his players to write themselves into Newcastle's history alongside Tino Asprilla and his teammates as they prepare for their Champions League showdown with Barcelona.
In September 1997, Colombia international Asprilla plundered a hat trick as Kenny Dalglish's Magpies defeated Barca 3-2 in the same competition in a game which is spoken of in reverent tones on Tyneside to this day.
Head coach Howe was a 19-year-old trying to make his way at Bournemouth at the time but remembers the game well and knows the place in holds in the hearts of both those who witnessed it and subsequent generations.
Speaking ahead on Tuesday night's round of 16 first-leg clash with the Catalan giants, he said: "You couldn't not watch that game. It was on terrestrial television. It was one of those legendary games.
"You want people in future years to be talking about this team. Tino Asprilla gets the hat trick, a couple of them from Keith Gillespie's delivery on the right. I want our players to be talked about in the same way, 20, 30, 40 years later."
Eddie Howe wants his team to create history against the Catalan side. Photo by Visionhaus/Getty Images
In the wake of Saturday night's FA Cup fifth-round exit at the hands of Manchester City, Howe described Barcelona's second visit to Tyneside this season -- they won 2-1 in the opening game of the group phase in September thanks to Marcus Rashford's double -- as "the biggest game in the club's history."
Asked if that was a reflection of the romanticism surrounding the fixture, the 48-year-old said: "To a point, yes. But there are also only 16 teams left and we're one of them.
"It's an opportunity to grab a moment that we may never get again. You never know what life brings tomorrow, let alone future seasons. We don't want to waste that opportunity. We don't want to kick ourselves or think, 'What if?' This is a moment for us to grab."
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Newcastle, who head for the Nou Camp next Wednesday, reached the round 16 in European club football's premier competition during the 2002-03 campaign, when there were two group stages, but have never before played in the knockout rounds and would create a new first if they made it to the quarterfinals.
Howe said: "We're going to need to break new ground in terms of performance level, so if there's a time for us to be at our absolute best, it's in these two games."
If they are to do that, they may need 21-year-old full-back Lewis Hall to be at his absolute best to keep a tight rein on electric teenager Lamine Yamal, although he is far from fazed by the prospect.
Hall said: "I think it goes without saying he's obviously a special talent. I've seen him play in enough Champions League games. I know what he's about. So for me, if I was to be selected, I'd be really looking forward to it.
"I want to test myself against the best players in the world and there's no better opportunity to do so than the game tomorrow."