Newcastle United Vs Barcelona Champions League: Hot Duel At St James Park, Big First Test For Nick Woltemade

Nick Woltemade, immediately brought fresh air to Newcastle United (photo: x @eurofootcom).

JAKARTA - The Champions League for the 2025-26 season will immediately present a prestigious duel in the first matchday of the league phase. Newcastle United will host Barcelona at St James Park on Thursday night local time September 18, a match that promises a hot atmosphere as well as full history.

This will be the team's first meeting since March 2003, when Barcelona won 2-0 in England thanks to goals from Patrick Kluivert and Thiago Motta. Now, after 22 years, The Magpies are again facing the Catalan giants with the status of one of the England teams trying to strengthen their position at the top of Europe.

Alexander Isak's departure on the last day of the transfer market had made Newcastle fans furious. However, the arrival of Germany's tall striker Nick Woltemade, who was brought in a club transfer record, immediately brought fresh air. The former Stuttgart bomber proved his quality in last weekend's Premier League debut match, scoring a beautiful header to ensure a 1-0 win over Wolverhampton.

Coach Eddie Howe called himself satisfied with the team's performance and hoped that the victory would erase the negative trend of three games without a win. This season, Newcastle appeared in the Champions League for the second time in three years, after being in the 2023-24 edition they had to be eliminated in the group stage against PSG, Borussia Dortmund, and AC Milan.

Newcastle's home record in European competitions is worth taking into account. Of the last 31 home games in Europe, they only lost three times (21 wins, 7 draws). In fact, against the Spanish team at St James' Park, they had a pretty good record: four wins from six matches. That would be a big capital against Barcelona who came with high confidence.

Hansi Flick's Barcelona came on top of the La Liga reigning champions and immediately impressed at the start of the season. Of the four matches, they collected 10 points, including a 6-0 win over Valencia last weekend, their biggest win since 2016. Robert Lewandowski, Raphinha, and Fermin Lopez each scored two goals in the goal party.

Barcelona are ambitious to end their 11-year long wait to lift the Champions League trophy again. Last season, they advanced to the semifinals before being eliminated by Inter Milan in a dramatic 7-6 aggregate match.

Barca's record in the early stages of this competition was also quite scary. Of the 29 previous participations, they only lost three times in the opening match (20 wins, 6 draws). In fact, against the England team in the group/ league phase, they only lost twice to the last 17 matches (8 wins, 7 draws).

Newcastle cannot field two new recruits, Yoane Wissa and Jacob Ramsey, as they are still recovering from injury. However, Anthony Gordon, who was hit by the domestic ban, could appear in Europe and potentially replace Harvey Barnes on the left wing. Meanwhile, Elanga and Jacob Murphy are competing for a position on the right. On the back, Howe must choose between continuing to rely on Fabian Schar's duet And Burn or giving an opportunity to mitigating Botman and Malick Thiaw.

On the other hand, Barcelona were hit by a storm of injuries. Lamine Yamal and Frenkie de Jong are doubtful, while Marc-Andre ter Stegen, Gavi, and Alejandro Balde are ruled out. Even so, Flick still has many dangerous options. Lewandowski and Raphinha are likely to start again after appearing as substitutes against Valencia. Marcus Rashford, who was borrowed from Manchester United, is also ready to be fielded.

Newcastle came up with the new spirit and full support of the famous St James Park angker, but facing Barcelona being sharp is not an easy matter. The Catalan team has scored three goals or more in the last 10 of their 13 Champions League games, and they still have Lewandowski and Raphinha who can change the course of the game at any time.

Newcastle is predicted to put up a tough fight with the threat of Woltemade up front, but Barca's experience and quality can be different.

Estimated Lineup Of Players

Newcastle United (4-3-3): Pope; Trippier, Schar, Burn, Livramento; Tonali, Guimaraes, Joelinton; Elanga, Woltemade, Gordon.

Barcelona (4-2-3-1): J. Garcia; Kounde, E. Garcia, Cubarsi, Martin; Casado, Pedri; Raphinha, Fermin, Rashford; Lewandowski.

Score prediction: Newcastle United 2-3 Barcelona