Overview
More than 4 years since Newcastle was backed by Saudi Arabian investors to take over with huge financial resources, the team's achievements both on and off the field still have many mixed colors. However, Eddie Howe's team finally made a breakthrough when they first participated in the Champions League knockout round.
Although only finishing in the group stage in 12th place - not an impressive achievement - Newcastle still qualified for the round of 16 and is preparing to play the first Champions League knockout match in club history.
In the play-off round, Howe's team almost decided the match right from the first leg when they crushed Qarabag 6-1. The 3-2 victory in the second leg was not too convincing, but that was enough result for them to move forward.
However, Newcastle's performance in the domestic arena is still quite unstable. In recent weeks, they have successively lost to Everton 2-3 at home in the Premier League, defeated Manchester United 2-1 even though they were only 10, before losing 1-3 to Manchester City in the FA Cup.
Howe's long-term future at St James' Park is still a controversial topic, as stability is still something Newcastle cannot maintain. However, this team still brings exciting matches when they have scored and conceded in all 12 recent matches in all competitions.
Meanwhile, Barcelona entered the Champions League knockout round with the goal of going further than in the 2024-2025 season, when they stopped in the semi-finals after losing to Inter Milan.
Barca's group stage is very exciting, with a total of 36 goals scored in 8 matches - the highest number in the league, equal to Borussia Dortmund. Blaugrana scored 22 goals but also conceded 14 times.
No team in the top 13 conceded more goals than the La Liga champions, especially when their high defensive system once revealed many weaknesses. However, Hansi Flick has helped Barcelona's defense improve significantly recently.
The 1-0 victory over Athletic Bilbao in La Liga last weekend - thanks to Lamine Yamal's goal - marked Barca's eighth clean sheet in all competitions in 2026. Up to now, only Inter Milan (9) has had more clean sheets in the top 5 European national championships.
Flick's team is also on a 4-game winning streak in all competitions. However, the 3-0 victory over Atletico Madrid at Copa del Rey became meaningless as they once lost 0-4 in the first leg.
History is also on the side of the Spanish representative. Barcelona has won all 5 recent matches in the Champions League round of 16 when facing English teams. In addition, in the group stage this season, Flick's team also defeated Newcastle 2-1 right at St James' Park thanks to a double by Marcus Rashford, a player loaned from Manchester United.
Personnel situation
Newcastle's expensive duo, Nick Woltemade and Sandro Tonali, have recovered in time after health problems and thigh injuries to play in the defeat to Man City. Howe will also welcome Jacob Ramsey back in the match against Barcelona after the midfielder's suspension in the domestic league expires.
Tino Livramento is also trying to return after a thigh injury sustained in the FA Cup. However, Newcastle is still missing a series of key players, when Emil Krafth (knee), Lewis Miley ( thigh), Fabian Schar (ankle) and especially important midfielder Bruno Guimaraes ( thigh) are all unable to participate.
On Barcelona's side, Marc Bernal worried fans when he left the field in the first half of the match against Athletic Bilbao. However, this midfielder only suffered from abdominal pain and is likely to recover in time to play.
However, the away team is still missing a series of key players due to injuries, including Alejandro Balde (hamstring), Gavi (knee), Frenkie de Jong (hamstring), Jules Kounde (hamstring) and Andreas Christensen (front cruciate ligament rupture). The possibility of them returning in time for the second leg is also very low.
Expected lineup:
Pope, Trippier, Thiaw, Botman, Hall, Willock, Tonali, Joelinton, Barnes, Wissa, Gordon.
J. Garcia, E. Garcia, Cubarsi, Martin, Cancelo, Pedri, Casado, Yamal, Lopez, Raphinha, Lewandowski.
The match between Newcastle and Barcelona takes place at 3:00 AM on March 11 (Vietnam time).
