Overview
After a brave but ineffective effort in the loss to Barcelona, Newcastle United have made an impressive comeback in the last two matches in the Champions League. Coach Eddie Howe's team won all 6 points, scored 7 goals and kept a clean sheet in both matches against highly rated opponents.
The Magpies won 4-0 against Union SG in Belgium, before continuing to soar with a 3-0 victory over Jose Mourinho's Benfica in the third match. This achievement helped Newcastle almost secure a place in the round of 16, thanks to a superior goal difference compared to the team with the same 6 points.
Returning to the glorious past in the early 2000s, Newcastle still maintained their impressive form at St James' Park. They are unbeaten in 29 of their last 33 home games in European competition, winning 22 of those games.
Entering this match, Newcastle is on a 4-match winning streak at home, scoring 9 goals and conceding only 1. However, Howe's side still have a lot to improve away from home.
They just suffered a 0-2 defeat to West Ham at the London Stadium last weekend. This was a stumble that left Howe unable to hide his anger, criticizing his students for lacking the necessary "power, fitness and energy".
Like Newcastle, Athletic Bilbao are going through an unstable period of competition. In their most recent La Liga match, they conceded three goals and lost 2-3 to Real Sociedad, despite having equalized twice. Jon Gorrotxategi's goal in the 92nd minute left the field in disappointment for Ernesto Valverde's team.
That defeat continued Bilbao's unforgettable run of results, who had an impressive start to the season with three consecutive wins in August. However, since then, they have won just two of their last 11 games in all competitions.
However, the Basque side still had a bright spot when they won 3-1 against Qarabag in their most recent Champions League match. This result helped them end a two-match losing streak against Arsenal (0-2) and Dortmund (1-4), temporarily rising to 21st place.
However, away results are a big problem for Valverde and his players. Bilbao have not won in their last 5 away matches, losing 4 of them. They have also won just one of their nine away games against English sides. With Newcastle's impressive home form, the challenge at St James' Park this time promises to be extremely difficult.
Notably, the upcoming match between Newcastle and Athletic Bilbao will be a reunion after more than 30 years, since the second round of the UEFA Cup 1994-1995. At that time, Bilbao continued thanks to the away goal rule after two 3-3 draws.
Personnel situation
Ahead of the match against Athletic Bilbao, Newcastle continues to face a headache in terms of personnel. In the loss to West Ham, Howe's team suffered a heavy blow when Kieran Trippier was suddenly absent due to illness. The same is true of Bruno Guimaraes.
Newcastle's injury list is still long with Yoane Wissa (knee), Tino Livramento (knee) and Harrison Ashby (head) definitely unable to play. Although Lewis Hall returned to the squad for the match against West Ham after injury, this young player is still not fit enough to play.
On the other hand, Athletic Bilbao also suffered heavy losses when Inaki Williams suffered a serious knee injury in the match against Qarabag and will be out until 2026.
Bilbao's absentee list also includes Maroan Sannadi, Benat Prados, Unai Egiluz and Yeray Alvarez.
Expected lineup:
Newcastle United: Pope, Trippier, Schar, Thiaw, Burn, Miley, Tonali, Joelinton, Elanga, Woltemade, Barnes.
Athletic Bilbao: Simon, Gorosabel, Paredes, Laporte, Boiro, Ruiz de Galarreta, Rego, Jauregizar, Berenguer, teacherzeta, Navarro.
The match between Newcastle and Bilbao takes place at 3:00 am on November 6 (Vietnam time).
