"The encounter at St. James' Park will be the fifth meeting between the two clubs, with Newcastle winning the first match 3-2 back in September 1997 under Kenny Dalglish. Newcastle have, however, lost each of their next three fixtures against Spanish opponents, with luck against teams from that part of Europe unfortunately not on their side. They have previously faced Spanish opposition 11 times in major European competitions, winning six of those matches (lost five), including each of their last three in succession."
""[They are] A very good technical team, very good in possession, very comfortable on the ball, all their players look at ease in that respect. A lot of pace in wide areas, they're free scoring and started the season very well. All of those things lead to us having to defend very well so the gameplan has to be strong. We've started the season very well defensively, so a continuation of that is going to be needed.""
"Barcelona's formidable attack caught the eyes of many in 2024-25, though Hansi Flick's star-studded frontline will be missing Lamine Yamal, who is ruled out through injury. Of managers with 10+ games in charge of a team in the Champions League, the two teams with the highest goals per game average are both Flick sides - 3.2 with Bayern Munich (2019-2021) and 3.1 with current club Barcelona. And Howe acknowledged that Newcastle will need to be strong tactically if they are going to get the better of Barcelona."
Newcastle will open their Champions League campaign at St. James' Park against Barcelona in a fixture described as historic. The clubs meet for the fifth time, with Newcastle having won the 1997 encounter but losing their subsequent three matches versus Spanish opponents. Barcelona arrive with a high-scoring, possession-oriented attack, though winger Lamine Yamal is sidelined by injury. Hansi Flick's teams rank among the highest goals-per-game in Champions League history. Eddie Howe emphasized the need for a strong gameplan and continued defensive solidity for Newcastle to compete effectively.
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