Today, in the first day of the Champions League, witness the live confrontation between Newcastle and Barcelona.
Barcelona Faces Newcastle United in Champions League Debut
Tonight, Newcastle United hosts Barcelona at St James' Park in the opening match of the Champions League for both teams. This encounter marks the first time Barcelona steps into the competition this season.
A memorable encounter between the two sides took place back in the 1997/98 Champions League debut, where Colombian striker Faustino Asprilla scored a hat-trick, giving Newcastle a 3-2 victory over Barcelona. Since then, Barcelona has won the next three encounters between the teams.
Barcelona enters the match missing Spain international Lamine Yamal due to injury. The Catalan club is aiming to bring its good form from La Liga, where it recently thrashed Valencia CF (6-0), to the Champions League. The team's objective is to demonstrate that it doesn't rely on any one player, no matter how good they are at the moment.
Newcastle, who are currently in the tenth position in the Premier League after four rounds, come into this match after winning against Wolves (1-0). The manager of Newcastle United before the start of the current 2025/2026 season was Eddie Howe.
Newcastle's lineup for the match includes goalkeeper Nick Pope, defenders Kieran Trippier, Fabian Schär, and Matt Targett, midfielders Bruno Guimarães, Pablo Marí, and Lewis O'Brien, and forwards Allan Saint-Maximin, Callum Wilson, and Miguel Almirón.
Barcelona's lineup for the match includes goalkeeper Marc-André ter Stegen, defenders Jules Koundé, Ronald Araújo, and Héctor Bellerín, midfielders Sergio Busquets, Frenkie de Jong, and Pedri, and forwards Raphinha, Marcus Rashford, and Robert Lewandowski.
The importance of winning or drawing at St James' Park is highlighted to avoid starting the Champions League campaign with doubts. After visiting Newcastle, Barcelona will host the reigning champions, PSG, coached by Luis Enrique and featuring Ousmane Dembélé.
Barcelona has a better record in the history books; it has only lost two of its last 17 group stage or round-robin matches against English teams in the Champions League. Newcastle has won four of their six home games against Spanish teams in UEFA competitions. This match promises to be an exciting start to the Champions League for both teams.
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