In 1997, the British side won the first encounter—but then lost all four subsequent matches

In the Champions League Round of 16 on March 10, 2026, the first leg between Newcastle United and Barcelona will take place. The hosts will try to perform better than they did at the start of the tournament.

The English side managed to edge out Aston Villa for fifth place in the Premier League last season, despite equal points. But this season, they’re mostly lingering in the middle of the domestic table. The Catalans under Flick won all domestic trophies in 2025. In January, they won the Super Cup again. However, they suffered a heavy 0-4 defeat in Madrid against Real in the Copa del Rey—despite scoring three at home, they failed to reach the final. In La Liga, it’s the usual head-to-head race with Real Madrid. They allowed their rival to take first place briefly but quickly pulled ahead again.

In the Champions League, Howe’s men started with a 1-2 home loss to the Catalans. However, they then won three matches in a row, finishing the main round with fourteen points. Still, they were the only British side who had to play in the playoffs as early as February. Their meetings with Qarabag were a walk in the park: they thrashed them 6-1 away.

Yamal and company, after their win at St. James’ Park, managed only one victory in the following four matches. But in winter, they recorded consecutive wins against Eintracht, Slavia, and Copenhagen. That was enough to make the top 8 and skip the first knockout round.

Newcastle United vs Barcelona: Key Stats and Trends
Newcastle United have won three of their last four matches
The team scores an average of 2.6 goals and concedes 1.0 per game
Barcelona have won three in a row
The club is averaging 2.75 goals scored and 1.75 goals conceded
Newcastle United vs Barcelona: Probable Starting Lineups
Newcastle United (probable lineup): Pope – Hall, Burn, Thiaw, Trippier – Woltemade, Tonali, Willock – Barnes, Gordon, Elanga

Barcelona (probable lineup): Garcia – Joao Cancelo, Martin, Eric Garcia, Kounde – de Jong, Bernal, Raphinha, Olmo, Yamal – Lewandowski

Previous Matches: Newcastle United vs Barcelona
In 1997, the British side won the first encounter—but then lost all four subsequent matches.