Newcastle vs Barcelona Bet Builder Tips, Stats, Best Bets, Predictions

After missing out on European football last season, Newcastle will look forward to their return to the Champions League on Thursday night, as they welcome Barcelona to St. James’ Park. The Magpies finished bottom of the ‘Group of Death’ when they were last in the competition during the 23/24 season, but they did pull off a couple of memorable results – one of which being a 4-1 victory against PSG on Tyneside.

The raucous home atmosphere really boosted Newcastle in that game, and that should be the case here again. Coming off the back of their first league victory of the season, with debutant Nick Woltemade getting on the scoresheet, the Magpies will be confident.

But keeping Hansi Flick’s Barcelona at bay is no easy task. The Catalans scored 28 goals in their eight league phase matches last season in the Champions League, and were the most prolific team in the Spanish top flight, with 102 goals from their 38 matches.

A key reason for their dominance has been Barcelona’s ability to retain possession and sustain attacks. This season alone, they are averaging 71% of the ball, despite contesting three of their four league matches on the road.

However, with the expectation of a harsh environment created by the home crowd, Barcelona may find this match a bit more difficult to establish their usual possession-based game, which they are so used to doing in the Spanish top flight. Frenkie de Jong and Pedri, who are likely to pair up in the double pivot, will certainly have a bit more defending to do midweek.

Out of the two, it is the Dutchman who tends to get stuck into duels a bit more, landing this selection in both of his starts this season. Even in the previous campaign, de Jong had an average of 1.16 fouls per 90, compared to just 0.27 fouls per 90 for Pedri.

Eddie Howe’s Newcastle side are incredibly physical, and they will look to make life difficult for their opponents especially in a game of this magnitude. The Magpies are averaging 13.25 fouls per game in the Premier League this season, and have committed at least ten fouls in all four matches so far.

Newcastle do see an uptick in infringements against top-tier opponents, committing 17 fouls against Liverpool in a narrow 3-2 loss before the international break. Even last season, the Magpies racked up 14 fouls against Man City, and 16 infringements against Arsenal at St James’ Park.

Barcelona had an average of 67% possession in the Champions League last season, drawing a total of 161 fouls in their 14 European games. That was the third-most of any team in the Champions League, with the Catalans averaging 11.9 fouls drawn per game.

Following his straight red card against Liverpool, Anthony Gordon missed the weekend fixture against Wolves, so has had some additional time to rest and prepare for this midweek clash. Gordon managed to land this selection in both starts this season, registering seven shots against Aston Villa on the Premier League opening weekend, with two hitting the target. He still registered three shots with one on target against Liverpool too, despite being sent off just before half-time.

Hansi Flick’s Barcelona play a notoriously high line, which worked wonders last season. However, Newcastle have the tools to exploit that, as they have Anthony Gordon and Anthony Elanga in their ranks – two players with electric pace on the counter. Although Woltemade got on the scoresheet last game, this matchup is better suited for Gordon to lead the line, and if he does start up top, this price appeals even more.