Just as they did in 1997–98, Barcelona begin their Champions League campaign at St. James’ Park. They’ll want a different outcome on Thursday night, though.
A Faustino Asprilla hat-trick sunk the Blaugrana on their first visit to Tyneside 28 years ago, and while Barça have won all three subsequent meetings, Hansi Flick is well aware of the upoming challenge at his team’s disposal.
St. James’ will be rocking under the lights, and the mettle of the majestic La Liga champions will doubtless be tested by tens of thousands of barmy Georgies.
The visitors are without a few key faces for their Champions League opener, but they refused to skip a beat at the weekend, as they thrashed Valencia 6–0 in La Liga. Here’s the Barcelona XI Flick could pick on Thursday night.
Barcelona Predicted Lineup vs. Newcastle (4-2-3-1)
GK: Joan García—The summer addition has immediately cemented himself as Barcelona’s number one, and he could be busy on Thursday night.
RB: Jules Koundé—A consistent performer at right-back since Flick took over, there’s no doubt that Koundé will retain his place in the German’s XI.
CB: Ronald Araújo—Flick has a dilemma at centre back, but he should probably opt for the physicality of Araújo, given the opposition. He can’t rock up with Eric García at the heart of his defence.
CB: Pau Cubarsí—The young Spanish defender has a key role to play in unlocking Newcastle’s press, and the Magpies will aim to dishevel their superior visitors with their intensity out of possession.
LB: Gerard Martín—The academy graduate starred on his previous Champions League appearance at the San Siro in May, and Martin will once again fill in for the injured Alejandro Balde, who hasn’t travelled.
CM: Pedri—Good luck taming Pedri, Magpies. The Spaniard’s imperious from from last season has permeated into 2024–25, and he’s another who’ll be decisive in bypassing Newcastle’s intensity.
CM: Frenkie De Jong—De Jong, who picked up an injury on international duty, was likely preserved for this fixture by Flick. The Dutchman didn’t feature in the Valencia rout on Sunday.
RW: Raphinha—Flick disciplined the Brazilian for lateness by dropping him to the bench on Sunday, but Raphinha, who’s starting to become inevitable in the final third, still scored twice in the 6–0 win. It’ll be interesting to see what role he plays in Lamine Yamal’s absence.
AM: Fermín López—The unsung Spaniard deserves to keep his place over Dani Olmo based on his performance at the weekend.
LW: Marcus Rashford—Flick was complimentary of Rashford’s performance on Sunday, which was perhaps his brightest in Barcelona colours. The Englishman will be keen to silence a fervent English crowd on Thursday night.
ST: Robert Lewandowski—The veteran striker has been eased into the new season because of a fitness issue, but Lewandowski is trending towards a return to the starting XI. He struck twice off the bench against Valencia.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Barcelona Predicted Lineup vs. Newcastle: De Jong Returns But No Yamal.