St. James’ Park will be rocking on Thursday night as Newcastle welcomes Barcelona in the curtain-raiser of their Champions League campaign.
The Magpies come into this one with their tails up after snapping a three-game Premier League drought. Their brand-new target man, Nick Woltemade, wasted no time justifying his club-record price tag, powering home a towering header on debut to deliver a 1-0 triumph over Wolves.
Barcelona, though, arrives in blistering form. Hansi Flick’s squad reclaimed the La Liga crown last season, and their title defense is off to a flyer after a 6-0 demolition job against Valencia. Robert Lewandowski, Raphinha, and Fermin Lopez all doubled their tally in what Flick dubbed a “perfect performance.”
For the Catalans, this is about both history and redemption. They’re gearing up for their 30th Champions League campaign—matching Real Madrid for the most in the tournament’s history—yet the sting of last year’s wild 7-6 semifinal collapse against Inter still lingers.
The Sporting News looks at the key details ahead of this game, including how to watch the match, kickoff times, latest lineup news and match prediction.
Newcastle vs. Barcelona live stream, TV channel
Here's how to watch this Champions League match in the UK:
TV channel: TNT Sports 1
Live stream: Amazon Prime
This match is available for live TV broadcast in the United Kingdom on TNT Sports 1. Streaming options are available on Amazon Prime via Discovery+.
If you're new to Amazon Prime, you can take advantage of a 30-day free trial (typically £8.99 per month), giving you access to all the football coverage available on the platform.
What time does Newcastle vs. Barcelona kick off?
This Champions League clash takes place at the St. James' Park in Newcastle upon Tyne, England and kicks off on Thursday, September 18 at 8:00 p.m. local time (BST).
Newcastle vs. Barcelona lineups, team news
A couple of Newcastle’s summer signings, Jacob Ramsey and Yoane Wissa, are both sidelined for the Magpies through injury this autumn.
Eddie Howe could well refresh both wings this week, with Anthony Elanga coming in from the bench and Anthony Gordon starting ahead of Harvey Barnes.
Newcastle predicted XI (4-3-3, right to left): Pope (GK) — Trippier, Schar, Botman, Livramento — Bruno Guimaraes, Tonali, Joelinton — Elanga, Woltemade, Gordon.
Injured: Ramsey, Wissa.
Suspended: None.
Lamine Yamal missed out for Barcelona at the weekend due to a groin injury and he remains a doubt alongside both Alex Balde and Frenkie de Jong.
Raphinha should start after being punished for turning up late to training by being dropped the other day, whilst Robert Lewandowski is easing his way back to full fitness.
Barcelona predicted XI (4-2-3-1, right to left): Joan Garcia (GK) — Kounde, Eric Garcia, Christensen, Gerard Martin — Pedri, Marc Casado — Rashford, Dani Olmo, Raphinha — Ferran Torres
Injured: Ter Stegen, Alex Balde (doubt), De Jong (doubt), Lamine Yamal (doubt)
Suspended: None
Champions League fixture schedule this week
Wednesday, September 17
- Olympiacos vs. Pafos FC (5:45 p.m. BST)
- Slavia Prague vs. FK Bodø/Glimt (5:45 p.m. BST)
- Liverpool vs. Atletico Madrid (8 p.m. BST)
- Ajax vs. Inter Milan (8 p.m. BST)
- Bayern Munich vs. Chelsea (8 p.m. BST)
- PSG vs. Atalanta (8 p.m. BST)
Thursday, September 18
- Club Brugge vs. AS Monaco (5:45 p.m. BST)
- FC Copenhagen vs. Bayer Leverkusen (5:45 p.m. BST)
- Newcastle United vs. Barcelona (8 p.m. BST)
- Eintracht Frankfurt vs. Galatasaray (8 p.m. BST)
- Manchester City vs. Napoli (8 p.m. BST)
- Sporting CP vs. Kairat (8 p.m. BST)
Related Links
- Latest men's soccer news and rumors
- Latest women's soccer news and rumors
- How to bet on Soccer