Our prediction for this Champions League match:
There will be fireworks when Newcastle United and Borussia Dortmund lock horns at St. James’ Park in the Group F showdown. The Magpies aim to retain top position in the standings and the bookies see them as favourites to win Wednesday’s clash. Newcastle rolled over Crystal Palace 4-0 at the weekend and given their excellent performance in the 4-1 crushing of PSG, home win should definitely be considered. The likes of Barnes, Botman, and Willock should miss out with injuries for the home team, while Paraguay ace Miguel Almiron is widely expected to return to the starting XI.
The Bundesliga outfit, meanwhile, recorded a hard-fought 1-0 win over Werder Bremen at the weekend, but they will have a much bigger fish to fry against Newcastle United, who have turned their St. James’ Park into a real fortress. All Youssoufa Moukoko, Julien Duranville, Thomas Meunier, and Mateu Morey are out of contention with injuries.
Highlighted Player (Julian Brandt):
Julian Brandt is one of the most promising wingers in Germany. He started playing football in his hometown, Bremen, at SC Borgfeld, moving to FC Oberneuland, after which he joined VLF Wolfsburg’s youth academy. With 27 goals in his 48 games during two seasons with the Wolves, Brandt recommended himself to Bayer 04 Leverkusen, signing a five-and-a-half-year contract in January 2014.
The 22-year-old winger prefers to play on the left flank, but he can also provide help on the right side, as well as an attacking midfielder. During the season 2015/2016, Julian Brandt netted goals in six consecutive games, becoming the youngest player since Gerd Muller to achieve this.
The good performances in the season made Joackim Low call the youngster in Germany’s preliminary 27-man squad for the Euro 2016 and he made his first appearance for the senior squad in May 2016, against Slovakia. He was a part of the Germany squad at the Summer Olympics, where Brandt and his teammates won the silver medal. In the summer of 2018, Julian Brandt made the World Cup team.
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.