Our prediction for this Champions League match:
Newcastle
Match Time & Date:
18 September 2025
20:00
Prediction: 2-2
Barcelona
Expect a thrilling atmosphere at St. James’ Park when Newcastle United and Barcelona go head to head in the Champions League round 1. The Magpies desperately needed a win against Wolverhampton and they managed to get one, but they will have a big fish to fry against the Catalan giants. A man to watch in the home team will be summer signing Nick Woltemade, who scored the winner against the Wolves at the weekend, while fellow summer signing Yoane Wissa remains in the recovery room.
Pacey winger Anthony Gordon is back from the Premier League ban. Barca, on the other hand, rolled over Valencia 6-0 on Sunday without star player Lamine Yamal in the starting XI. Yamal is rated doubtful for Thursday’s showdown and with Newcastle being tough to beat at home, we believe that there is a big value in betting on draw. Both Raphinha and Robert Lewandowski should be recalled to the starting eleven after coming off the bench in the last league match.
Highlighted Player (Robert Lewandowski):
After scoring 36 goals in 59 league games for Znicz Pruskow, Robert Lewandowski joined Lech Poznan in June, 2008. The 184-cm-tall attacker scored 18 goals in 28 appearances for the club in the 2009/2010 Ekstraklasa campaign and during the season he was on Borussia Dortmund’s radar.
The Polish forward signed a four-year deal with the Bundesliga side in June, 2010 and he quickly established himself as the team’s key attacker. Lewandowski was producing excellent performances with the Millionaires between 2010 and 2014 and it has to be noted that he won two Bundesliga trophies with the club (2010/2011, 2011/2012). He participated in the 2012/2013 Champions League final with Borussia Dortmund, but the Millionaires were beaten by fellow Bundesliga side Bayern Munich in the title game.
However, he betrayed Borussia Dortmund fans in 2014 as he signed a four-year deal with the Bundesliga giants. Lewandowski impressed in the 2016/2017 Bundesliga campaign as he scored 30 goals in 32 league games for Pep Guardiola’s troops. The Polish footballer represented his homeland at Euro 2016 in France and he scored one goal at the showpiece tournament in France.
Highlighted Team (Newcastle):
Newcastle United failed to impress in the 2015/2016 Premier League campaign and, as a result, they dropped to the English second tier. The Magpies will host their rivals at their St. James’ Park in the 2016/2017 Championship campaign and it has to be noted that the capacity of the stadium is 52,354.
Newcastle United have won four domestic trophies (1904/1905, 1906/1907, 1908/1909, 1926/1927), while lifting six FA Cup titles (1910, 1924, 1932, 1951, 1952, 1955) and a number of star players were part of the St. James’ Park outfit in the past.
David Ginola, Michael Owen, Alan Shearer, Les Ferdinand, Nolberto Solano, Gary Speed, Obafemi Martins and Kevin Nolan are notable footballers who are still remembered at the club. Newcastle’s fiercest rivals are Sunderland and there have always been fireworks when the two local rivals face each other in the Tyne-Wear derby. The color of Newcastle’s home kit is black and white.
Athletic Bilbao 
Arsenal 
Benfica 
Qarabag
Juventus 
Borussia Dortmund 
Real Madrid 
Marseille 
Tottenham 
Villarreal 
Olympiacos 
Pafos 
