Eddie Howe’s Newcastle United get their Champions League campaign underway against Barcelona on Thursday at 8pm.
Newcastle predicted lineup vs Barcelona
Newcastle (4-3-3): Pope; Trippier, Schar, Burn, Livramento; Guimaraes, Tonali, Joelinton; Murphy, Woltemade, Barnes.
The Magpies are back in the Champions League after one season away, and they’ll be looking to fare better than two years ago. Newcastle ended a lot wait for Champions League football in 2023-24 but bowed out in the group stage.
They will hope to have a better chance of making through to the knockout phases this time around, thanks to the new format. But the format has also presented them with a big opening match, hosting Spanish champions Barcelona at St James’ Park.
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Newcastle team news vs Barcelona
Anthony Gordon will be available for selection on Thursday, currently serving a suspension in the Premier League. However, he’s unlikely to start with Harvey Barnes impressing on the left wing.
Yoane Wissa and Jacob Ramsey are both out through injury, and aren’t expected to return until after the October international break.
There is a chance that Howe could name an unchanged starting XI from the win over Wolverhampton Wanderers on Saturday. The Magpies have a pretty settled first-team.
Lewis Hall has featured in the Premier League this season after injury. But Tino Livramento is expected continue at left-back, with Kieran Trippier on the right.
Dan Burn and Fabian Schar are the favoured starting centre-backs, with Nick Pope in goal.
The midfield of Joelinton, Sandro Tonali and Bruno Guimaraes will remain the same, with Lewis Miley and Joe Willock starting on the bench. Nick Woltemade is the main striking option, with Barnes on the left.
Anthony Elanga would be hoping for a start on the right, but Jacob Murphy is likely to retain his spot. The Englishman provided an assist on Saturday but he will also be seen as more defensive cover for Trippier. And he’ll need all the support he can get.
Why were Lewis Hall and Lewis Miley left out of Newcastle’s Champions League squad?
When Newcastle first announced their Champions League squad earlier in the month, there might have been some confusion. The Magpies only named 21 players, and neither Lewis Hall nor Lewis Miley made the cut. But, both Hall and Miley will be able to play against Barcelona.
Champions League squads require a club to have no more than 25 List A players during a season. However, a minimum of eight players must be “locally-trained”.
Locally-trained players are split into two sections: association-trained, and club-trained. And of the eight locally-trained player spots, a maximum of four can go to association-trained players. That doesn’t mean you can only name four association-trained players, but that only four can count as part of the eight locally-trained slots. Any other association-trained players must be included among the remaining 17 spots.
A club-trained player is someone who, between the ages of 15 and 21, has been registered with a club for three entire seasons. An association-trained player is someone who, between the ages of 15 and 21, has been registered with a club or other clubs in the same association for a period for three entire seasons. So in Newcastle’s case, that’s England or Wales (given the link between the two FAs).
If a team can’t name eight locally-trained players on List A, their maximum squad size is cut. Newcastle’s problem is that they don’t have any senior eligible club-trained players. So that’s four spots missing.
Hall and Miley were among the locally-trained players to miss out on the List A squad. But they are eligible for List B.
List B requires a player to be born on or after 1st January 2004 and been eligible to play for the club for an uninterrupted period of two years. Hall’s first season on loan from Chelsea counts towards this, so he can make it. Miley would actually be eligible for a List A spot as a club-trained player. But a team can only make three changes to their squad after the group stage is over. So it’s just easier for Newcastle to name Miley on List B.