FC Barcelona go into Wednesday's Champions League round of 16 second leg against Newcastle United (9pm CET) in a very favourable situation considering how last week's first leg at St James' Park panned out.

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It was anything but their best performance of the season. The Premiership side were worryingly dominant for large phases of the game, but struggled to turn their openings into clear-cut chances, and only managed to turn one of them into a goal when Harvey Barnes converted on 86 minutes. And that was largely because although Barça failed to produce the magic required up front, defensively they were utterly superb.

Under the circumstances, a 1-0 defeat wasn't a bad result. But things got even better when a last-second Lamine Yamal penalty earned a 1-1 draw.

 

That goal makes a world of difference. Instead of Newcastle having a one-goal head start, the teams go into the return meeting all square. But now it won't be the Toon Army creating the noise. This time the venue is Spotify Camp Nou, and with the fans behind them, Barça are brilliantly placed to make amends for last Tuesday and earn passage into the quarter finals of the competition, where either Tottenham Hotspur or Atlético Madrid await.

If last Sunday's performance in La Liga is anything to go by, Barça are going into the game in perfect condition. There were no signs of the discomforts displayed on Tyneside and they brushed Sevilla aside to the tune of a 5-2 victory. More of the same on Wednesday would be ideal.

History on Barça side

It certainly wouldn't be the first time that a 1-1 draw away from home in the first leg has led to a very happy ending for Barça. The last five occasions it happened in the UCL have all been followed by resounding wins on home soil, 5-2 against Lyon (2009), 4-0 against Stuttgart (2010), 3-0 against Chelsea (2018) and 3-1 against Napoli in both 2020 and 2024.

Not since a 1-1 draw with Juventus in Turin back in 2003 have things not worked out quite so well, when a Zalayeta goal in extra time sent the Italians through.

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What's more, although Barça have only won one of their three games at St James' Park in the Champions League, they have beaten the Magpies both times they have met at Camp Nou, 1-0 in November 1997 and 3-1 in December 2002.

Great home form

And although Barça have slipped in a few games this season away from home, their form when playing at the new-look Spotify Camp Nou has been impeccable. Since they returned home, they have played eleven European and domestic fixtures in the stadium, and to date have been victorious every single time.

Home advantage in one of the most important games of the season so far is a huge factor in Barça's favour, as Pau Cubarsi was keen to address in his pre-match media conference on Tuesday.

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Newcastle eyeing qualification

But there are two teams in this battle, and after showing Barça what they were made of in the first leg, Newcastle United then went to Chelsea and picked up a confidence-boosting 1-0 at one of the hardest places to visit in the world. So Barça can't afford to get complacent and assume that the black-and-whites won't be quite as dangerous when playing away from home. Indeed, as Hansi Flick insisted on Tuesday, if Barça are to win this one, they'll need to produce nothing short of "a perfect game."

Unbeaten in their last six Champions League games and with the man who scored at Stamford Bridge, Anthony Gordon, having 10 goals so far in his team's European campaign, Newcastle are a side that opponents underestimate at their peril. And as we saw on Wednesday, there is much more to the team than Gordon, who didn't even start that game through illness, with the likes of Barnes, Anthony Elanga, Joelinton and Jacob Murphy among the standout players. Lewis Hall deserves a mention apart. That was probably the best job any defender has done of marking Lamine Yamal. 

Team news

Barça received a huge boost on Sunday with the return from injury of Gavi. The midfielder was only on for the last quarter of an hour and it will be interesting to see whether Hansi Flick feels he could start this one. With Pedri also back to full fitness, Barça have filled some important gaps in the middle, but will continue to miss the injured Jules Kounde, Frenkie de Jong, Alejandro Balde and Andreas Christensen.

Newcastle have their own concerns. None of Bruno Guimaraes, Lewis Miley, Fabian Schar or Emil Krafth are likely to feature against Barça, while Sandro Tonali sat the weekend fixture out through illness.

Special typeface

The typeface designed by Anna Vives, a young woman with Down syndrome, will feature on the backs of FC Barcelona players’ shirts this Wednesday. The initiative, led by the FC Barcelona Foundation, marks the upcoming World Down Syndrome Day on 21 March.

It is not the first time Barça have used Anna’s inclusive typeface. The club previously supported the initiative during the 2013 Joan Gamper Trophy match against Santos, highlighting its commitment to raising the visibility of people who are too often overlooked.

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