Hansi Flick, Head Coach of FC Barcelona, speaks to the media during a press conference ahead of the UEFA Champions League 2025/26 Round of 16 First Leg match between Newcastle United and FC Barcelona at St James' Park on March 09, 2026 in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. (Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images)placeholder image
Hansi Flick, Head Coach of FC Barcelona, speaks to the media during a press conference ahead of the UEFA Champions League 2025/26 Round of 16 First Leg match between Newcastle United and FC Barcelona at St James' Park on March 09, 2026 in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. (Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Barcelona manager Hansi Flick has confirmed some major news ahead of the Champions League clash v Newcastle United.
Flick is under contract at Barcelona until June 2027, but club president Joan Laporta recently revealed an extension for the German would be officially announced shortly.
The 61-year-old was appointed as Barca boss in 2024 and has gone on to win La Liga, the Copa del Rey and two Spanish Super Cups. Now the Champions League is firmly in his sights.
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But first, the Catalan giants will have to get past Newcastle to reach the quarter-finals. The second leg takes place at the Camp Nou tonight, with the tie level from the 1-1 draw at St James’ Park.
Hansi Flick on his Barcelona future
When asked about his new contract extension and future at Barcelona, Flick said in his pre-match press conference: "We'll see what happens with my future, we have plenty of time ahead of us. I'm not thinking about going anywhere else. Barca will be my last club, my last job. I'm very happy here.
"First, I have to talk to my family. We have time. Now is not the time to talk about my renewal.”
Hansi Flick on Newcastle United
It will be the third time Barcelona and Newcastle have faced each other this season and the seventh time in the Champions League overall. The Magpies won the first meeting back in 1997 3-2 at St James’ Park but are without a win since.
The 1-1 draw at St James’ Park last week ended a run of four straight defeats against the Spanish giants.
Assessing Newcastle ahead of the match, Flick added: “Newcastle is a physical team. Very aggressive. They also defend very well in the final third of the pitch. But in transition they are also quick and possess player with great speed.”
“If they play man-to-man, we’ll have to look for the spaces. We’ve worked on what we need to do today. It will be a tough match tomorrow.
“We’ve talked about it. We have to play with confidence. That’s important for tomorrow. We have focused on what we must do better from last week. We’ll have to play our perfect match.”
Eddie Howe on Barcelona v Newcastle United
Previewing the game, Newcastle boss Eddie Howe said: “Yeah, I don't think they will. We’re an experienced group, we've got many players who have played in so many big games now and become accustomed to it. I think for the players it's slightly different than it is for the upper bracket game, so you almost want that size of the game to lift the players, to make us grow.
“Certainly we can't shrink the size of the game, but there's many, many internationals within the squad. I don't see that as an issue. It's just making sure, from my side, we get the plan right.
“They've got a lot of dangerous players that we need to deal wit, sSo we need the concentration to be where it should be, where it needs to be. But also, we've got enough players that can cause them problems the other way, and we've shown that in the two games against them. We have to find a way to get them in the game as well.
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