St. James’ Park will be rocking on Thursday night as Newcastle welcomes Barcelona in the curtain-raiser of their Champions League campaign.
The Magpies come into this one with their tails up after snapping a three-game Premier League drought. Their brand-new target man, Nick Woltemade, wasted no time justifying his club-record price tag, powering home a towering header on debut to deliver a 1-0 triumph over Wolves.
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Barcelona, though, arrives in blistering form. Hansi Flick’s squad reclaimed the La Liga crown last season, and their title defense is off to a flyer after a 6-0 demolition job against Valencia. Robert Lewandowski, Raphinha, and Fermin Lopez all doubled their tally in what Flick dubbed a “perfect performance.”
For the Catalans, this is about both history and redemption. They’re gearing up for their 30th Champions League campaign—matching Real Madrid for the most in the tournament’s history—yet the sting of last year’s wild 7-6 semifinal collapse against Inter still lingers.
The Sporting News looks at the key details ahead of this game, including how to watch the match, kickoff times, and the latest lineup news.
Newcastle vs. Barcelona live stream, TV channel
Here's how to watch this Champions League match in Australia:
TV channel: N/A
Live stream: Stan Sport
This game is not available on free-to-air TV. Newcastle vs. Barcelona is available for live stream, exclusively on Stan Sport.
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What time does Newcastle vs. Barcelona kick off?
This Champions League clash takes place at the St. James' Park in Newcastle upon Tyne, England and kicks off on Thursday, September 18 at 8:00 p.m. local time (BST).
Here's how that time translates across Australia:
| Date | Kickoff time | |
| Australian Eastern Standard Time | Friday, September 19 | 5:00 a.m. |
| Australian Central Standard Time | Friday, September 19 | 4:30 a.m. |
| Australian Western Standard Time | Friday, September 19 | 3:00 a.m. |
Newcastle vs. Barcelona lineups, team news
A couple of Newcastle’s summer signings, Jacob Ramsey and Yoane Wissa, are both sidelined for the Magpies through injury this autumn.
Eddie Howe could well refresh both wings this week, with Anthony Elanga coming in from the bench and Anthony Gordon starting ahead of Harvey Barnes.
Newcastle predicted XI (4-3-3, right to left): Pope (GK) — Trippier, Schar, Botman, Livramento — Bruno Guimaraes, Tonali, Joelinton — Elanga, Woltemade, Gordon.
Injured: Ramsey, Wissa.
Suspended: None.
Lamine Yamal missed out for Barcelona at the weekend due to a groin injury and he remains a doubt alongside both Alex Balde and Frenkie de Jong.
Raphinha should start after being punished for turning up late to training by being dropped the other day, whilst Robert Lewandowski is easing his way back to full fitness.
Barcelona predicted XI (4-2-3-1, right to left): Joan Garcia (GK) — Kounde, Eric Garcia, Christensen, Gerard Martin — Pedri, Marc Casado — Rashford, Dani Olmo, Raphinha — Ferran Torres
Injured: Ter Stegen, Alex Balde (doubt), De Jong (doubt), Lamine Yamal (doubt)
Suspended: None
Champions League fixture schedule this week
All times AEST
Wednesday, September 17
- Union SG def PSV Eindhoven, 3-1
- Arsenal def. Athletic Bilbao, 2-0
- Qarabag FK def. Benfica, 3-2
- Juventus draw. Borussia Dortmund, 4-4
- Real Madrid def. Marseille, 2-1
- Tottenham Hotspur def. Villarreal, 2-0
Thursday, September 18
- Olympiacos draw. Pafos FC, 0-0
- Slavia Prague draw. FK Bodø/Glimt, 2-2
- Liverpool def. Atletico Madrid, 3-2
- Inter Milan def. Ajax, 3-2
- Bayern Munich def. Chelsea, 3-1
- PSG def. Atalanta, 4-0
Friday, September 19
- Club Brugge vs. AS Monaco (2:45 a.m. AEST)
- FC Copenhagen vs. Bayer Leverkusen (2:45 a.m. AEST)
- Newcastle United vs. Barcelona (5 a.m. AEST)
- Eintracht Frankfurt vs. Galatasaray (5 a.m. AEST)
- Manchester City vs. Napoli (5 a.m. AEST)
- Sporting CP vs. Kairat (5 a.m. AEST)