The Magpies return to the Champions League stage and welcome heavyweights Barcelona who will be looking for a similar performance as last year's group stage campaign
A highly anticipated Champions League showdown will take place at St James’ Park on Thursday night, as Newcastle United welcome Barcelona for their opening League Phase fixture of the 2025-26 campaign.
This encounter marks the first meeting between the two sides since March 2003, when goals from Patrick Kluivert and Thiago Motta earned the Catalan giants a 2-0 away win in the second group stage.
All eyes were on Newcastle’s record signing, Nick Woltemade, following Alexander Isak’s departure on deadline day. Making his Premier League debut last Saturday against Wolverhampton Wanderers, the German striker—who netted 17 Bundesliga goals for Stuttgart last season—made an instant impact. Using his 6ft 6in frame to great effect, Woltemade powered home a first-half header to secure a narrow 1-0 victory for the Magpies, ending their three-match winless streak.
Head coach Eddie Howe was pleased with his team’s display, noting few faults in their performance. The win provides a timely boost as Newcastle gear up for their second Champions League campaign in three seasons and fourth overall in Europe’s elite competition.
Last season, Newcastle exited the Champions League at the group stage, having been drawn into a daunting group with Paris Saint-Germain, Borussia Dortmund, and AC Milan. This year’s League Phase presents more challenging yet exciting fixtures, with Barcelona, Benfica, Marseille, Bayer Leverkusen, and PSG among their opponents.
The Magpies approach Thursday’s clash with just one win from their last eight European matches (D3 L4), but they have been formidable at home, losing only three of their last 31 European fixtures at St James’ Park (W21 D7). Their record against Spanish sides on home soil is also encouraging, with four wins from six encounters (L2).
Barcelona, meanwhile, enter the contest after clinching their second La Liga title in three seasons—and their first under head coach Hansi Flick—in 2024-25. They have started their title defense strongly, collecting 10 points from their first four matches, including a resounding 6-0 victory over Valencia on Sunday. Robert Lewandowski, Raphinha, and Fermin Lopez each scored twice, helping the Catalans to their biggest win in any competition since 2016.
Currently sitting second in La Liga behind Real Madrid, Barcelona are determined to reclaim the top spot from their rivals and are equally motivated to end their 11-year wait for Champions League glory, having fallen short in last season’s semi-finals in a dramatic 7-6 aggregate loss to Inter Milan.
This season marks Barcelona’s 30th appearance in the Champions League—a record they share with Real Madrid. Last year, they finished second in the 36-team League Phase, amassing 19 points from eight games and scoring a competition-high 28 goals. Barcelona face Newcastle having lost just two of their last 17 Champions League group stage/League Phase matches against English clubs with eight wins and seven draws in that time.