On Wednesday, Barcelona host Newcastle United for the second leg of what is a finely poised UEFA Champions League round-of-16 tie.
Newcastle were much the better team in the first leg, but Harvey Barnes‘ goal was cancelled out by Lamine Yamal‘s late equaliser. Barça fans have now watched two clashes with the Premier League side from afar, but now the Camp Nou will get to see what has been an exciting European matchup live on their own turf.
Here’s everything you need to know about the match:
How to watch
The match will be broadcast on Wednesday night on TNT Sports 2 in the UK, CBS / Paramount+ in the U.S., SonyLIV in India and Stan Sport in Australia. You can also follow ESPN’s live updates.
Key Details
Kick-off time: Wednesday, March 18 at 5.45 p.m. GMT (12.45 p.m. ET; 11.15 a.m. IST; and 3.45 a.m. AEDT, Thursday)
Venue: Camp Nou, Barcelona
Referee: François Letexier (FRA)
VAR: Bram Van Driessche (BEL)
Injury News
Newcastle United
Emil Krafth, D: OUT, knee
Fabian Schär, D: OUT, ankle
Bruno Guimarães, M: OUT, muscle
Lewis Miley, D/M: OUT, knee
Barcelona
Toni Fernández, F: OUT, ankle
Jofre Torrents, D: OUT, calf
Alejandro Balde, D: OUT, hamstring
Andreas Christensen, D: OUT, ACL
Jules Koundé, D: OUT, hamstring
Frenkie de Jong, M: OUT, thigh
Talking Points
Can Newcastle’s intensity stop Barca’s game, again?
Newcastle United, powered by the cauldron that is St. James Park, took the game to Barcelona in the first leg with a superb mix of high intensity football that saw them alternate a high press with a low block that broke out with ferocious speed. That they scored just one goal is more an indictment of their finishing: after all they took 16 shots to Barca’s nine, had 39 touches in the opposition box vs. Barça’s 20 made 142 sprints vs. 120 and had an open play xG of 1.12 vs. Barça’s 0.46. That first leg was their plan A working to a fault … Up until Dani Olmo‘s quick feet and Lamine Yamal’s calm finishing dragged Barça level.
It wasn’t just that Newcastle had plenty of attacks of their own, but their hustle and bustle across the park meant Barcelona’s midfield never got a firm grip on the match and Yamal was left isolated more often than not. If they can recreate that first 90 minutes, it could well make for a historic night at the Camp Nou for the visitors.
Lamine Yamal remains the key — but Barca could use the outlet of Marcus Rashford
That Yamal is the superstar of this team is in no doubt, and as superstars are wont to, he’ll want to have a go at Eddie Hall again — who did such a brilliant job keep him quiet at St. James’ Park. At home, with the crowd backing him, it’s a battle Yamal will quite fancy and Hall needs to be ready to take his own game up a notch.
What could help Barcelona give a edge, though, might be Marcus Rashford. Running at, and in behind Kieran Trippier, Rashford starting could be the kind of surprise that scuppers Eddie Howe’s plan A. This would, of course, mean shifting Raphinha (who had a hattrick on the weekend) into the No.10 spot he doesn’t much enjoy and dropping either one of Fermín López or Dani Olmo … and that’s a compromise to structure Hansi Flick doesn’t like to make unless out of necessity. Rashford’s X-factor, though, was valuable for Barca in the group stage and his ability to stretch the pitch on the left could open space on the opposite flank for Yamal.
Besides, Rashford has a decent record against Newcastle — 7 goals and 4 assists in 17 games.
Anthony Gordon vs. Gerard Martín
Barca’s defence has been wrecked with injuries and that’s Gerard Martin partnering the prodigious Pau Cubarsí in the heart of the backline and as Newcastle showed last week, he is the weakest link. Anthony Gordon, in stellar form in Europe and now finding his feet domestically too, will fancy every chance he gets to run at (or in behind) Martin and you can expect the non-classical centre-forward to peel onto Martin’s shoulder every time Newcastle charge forward.
If Martin can step up and stop Newcastle’s main man for dictating terms it would be advantage Barça, vice-versa and Newcastle could well hold the upper hand.
Gavi‘s return gives Barcelona a boost
It may have been only the last ten odd minutes against Sevilla this weekend, but Gavi’s appearance on the field after months out — so long that he’s yet to feature in this season’s CL campaign — will give Barcelona a boost. While Marc Casadó and Marc Bernal are more than able deputies, especially on the ball, Gavi brings an intensity to his game that can unsettle even the most physical of sides. With Frenkie De Jong’s underrated physicality missing still, Gavi could help Pedri level things up against Joelinton and Sandro Tonali.
While he may yet not be fit enough to start against Newcastle, even a second half cameo could help Barcelona ratchet up their intensity if needed at that point.
What do the numbers say?
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Barcelona have progressed in ten of their 15 previous CL two-legged ties against English opposition, while Newcastle have won one and lost two of their three previous UEFA two-legged ties against Spanish opposition.
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Barca, with a richer Champions League and European Cup heritage, have been at this stage often. They have won 23 of their 29 UEFA two-legged ties after drawing the first leg away, including 11 of 14 when that first leg finished 1-1.
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Goals are almost a guarantee — Barca have failed to score in only one of their last 29 CL matches and have not kept a cleansheet in their last 12.
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Lamine Yamal is one goal away from equalling the record for the most CL goals scored before turning 19. That record (10) currently belongs to one Kylian Mbappé. As if Yamal needed any more motivation, eh?
