Newcastle welcome Barcelona to St James’ Park
For the second time in six months, St James’ Park hosts the famous Barcelona, as Newcastle United welcome the Spanish titans to their headquarters for today’s Champions League last-16 first leg.
The Magpies saw off Azerbaijani hopefuls Qarabag in the knockout phase playoffs, while Hansi Flick‘s outfit clinched fifth spot in the league phase to earn a direct ticket to the last 16.
Over four years on from Newcastle’s lucrative Saudi-backed takeover, results both on and off the field have been mixed to say the very least, but Eddie Howe‘s Magpies have finally broken new ground on the biggest continental stage of all.
A 12th-placed league-phase finish – while far from remarkable – saw Newcastle reach the knockout rounds of the Champions League for the first time in their history.
However, domestic chaos continues to reign supreme for the Magpies, who have suffered a crushing 3-2 Premier League home loss to Everton, defeated Manchester United 2-1 with 10 men and most recently been beaten 3-1 by Manchester City in the FA Cup over the past couple of weeks.
Champions League knockout amateurs meet Champions League knockout aficionados, as Barcelona continue their bid to go at least one better than their 2024-25 run to the semi-finals, where Inter Milan broke Blaugrana hearts.
Barca’s league-phase campaign was as frenetic as could be expected, as their eight games saw the joint-highest number of overall goals with 36 – level with Borussia Dortmund.
Flick’s ferocious attack can still fight fire with fire to claim a first-leg advantage, albeit surely only a slender one due to a number of key absences, as Newcastle keep the tie alive before trekking to Camp Nou.
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Galatasaray host Liverpool in first leg of round of 16 tie
Liverpool‘s Champions League campaign continues today against Galatasaray, with RAMS Park the staging ground for the first leg of their round of 16 tie.
The Reds are sixth in the Premier League, but they will take confidence from their third-placed finish in the Champions League’s league phase, though their hosts already won 1-0 against the Merseysiders in September 2025 and will be challenging opponents.
Galatasaray had to navigate a playoff round against Juventus in order to advance into the knockouts, and though they won 7-5 on aggregate, they were taken to extra time after Juve took a 3-0 lead, despite playing with 10 men for the majority of the second half.
Perhaps the biggest hindrance for the Turkish outfit in their tie against Liverpool is that they will not be able to bring any supporters into Anfield for the second leg after crowd disturbances against Juve, which will make securing a positive result on Tuesday even more important.
Galatasaray will hope to earn a fourth consecutive victory in all competitions, and a win against Liverpool would be their sixth in a row at home.
While the visitors have the quality to take a first-leg lead, their history against Galatasaray has been poor given they have lost three, drawn two and won just one of their six meetings with the Turkish side.
Galatasaray boss Buruk has indicated that he intends to field a physical side capable of disrupting Liverpool’s defence, and striker Victor Osimhen will be key for the hosts in that regard.
Credit: sportsmole.co.uk
Tottenham travel away to face Atletico Madrid
Taking a break from their Premier League relegation battle, crisis club Tottenham Hotspur venture to the Wanda Metropolitano for today’s Champions League last-16 first leg with Atletico Madrid.
The Europa League holders achieved an impressive fourth-placed league-phase finish despite their domestic disasters, while Diego Simeone‘s crop got the better of Club Brugge in the playoff rounds.
Continental competition has provided Tottenham with safe haven while their Premier League campaign continues to unravel – at least up to this point.
In the eyes of many, Tottenham’s stellar European displays and pitiful domestic performances said a great deal about the quality of football in England compared to other Big Five leagues, as did the fact that five Premier League clubs earned a direct ticket to the last 16 of the competition.
That theory will be put to the test again today, when Tottenham will go in search of a fourth straight UCL victory and a sixth clean sheet from their last seven in the tournament, but travelling supporters will not be holding their breath.
With Romero and Van de Ven back together, Tottenham should not be such a horror show at the back, but the Lilywhites are still lacking in attacking ideas and a clear identity under Tudor.
The visitors’ domestic troubles meant nothing against Dortmund or Frankfurt, but an Atletico team with a taste for goals at home should put one foot firmly in the quarter-finals.
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Atalanta and Bayern Munich faceoff in Bergamo
Kicking off their battle for a place in the Champions League quarter-finals, Atalanta BC and Bayern Munich will meet in Bergamo on Tuesday evening.
While Bayern strode straight through to the last-16 stage, La Dea dramatically eliminated another German giant to squeeze through the playoffs.
No strangers to an epic European success, Atalanta pulled off a classic Champions League comeback in this year’s first knockout round, recovering from a two-goal defeat in the first leg.
Facing long odds to turn the tie around, they had overturned that deficit by the hour mark of a thrilling return leg in Bergamo, before Borussia Dortmund levelled the pair’s playoff clash at 3-3.
A penalty was then awarded to La Dea deep in second-half stoppage time, and Lazar Samardzic emphatically dispatched it, sending his team through to the last 16.
Italy’s last representative in this season’s competition, Atalanta, have developed a proud continental record in recent years, and the 2024 Europa League winners have hopes of going further.
However, aside from last month’s 4-1 home win, the Nerazzurri have lost six of their last seven fixtures in the elimination phase; they have also conceded an average of two goals per game across nine knockout matches. Furthermore, since toppling Dortmund, Raffaele Palladino‘s men have started to falter.
Even though Atalanta usually over perform their modest status in Europe, they have leaked goals in recent games and cannot keep Bayern at bay for 90 minutes.
The German giants should score at least twice to seize a lead for next week’s return leg in Bavaria.
Credit: sportsmole.co.uk
FIXTURES
Galatasaray 17:45 Liverpool
