Newcastle United’s latest European chapter feels heavier than most because the calendar has delivered a reunion steeped in memory.
St. James’ Park will host Barcelona for the first time in 22 years on Thursday night and that number alone carries weight in a city where European nights are measured in folklore.
Eddie Howe’s men come into the contest after a shaky start in the Premier League with just one win in four games, but the narrow victory over Wolves restored some badly needed confidence before Barcelona’s arrival.
Hansi Flick side are moving with authority as La Liga holders, already unbeaten with ten points from four matches and come into this contest fresh from dismantling Valencia 6-0.
Head-to-head: Newcastle’s iconic win, Barcelona’s dominance
Newcastle and Barcelona have met four times, with the Catalans winning three and the Magpies famously one. Their only victory came on September 17, 1997.
Newcastle’s iconic night which became Asprilla’s night of glory
Kenny Dalglish’s side who was stripped of Alan Shearer through injury, faced a Barcelona team stacked with Rivaldo, Luis Figo and Luis Enrique.
Few gave Newcastle a chance, but the game became Faustino Asprilla’s masterpiece.
Fed relentlessly by Keith Gillespie’s electric wing play, the Colombian scored a hat-trick that lit up the evening and though Barcelona struck back through Enrique and Figo in the closing stages, the 3-2 result still stands as one of St. James’ Park’s most cherished victories.
Anyone who was there remembers the deafening sound as Asprilla wheeled away in celebration.
Tino Asprilla's iconic hat-trick against tomorrow's opponents, Barcelona at St. James' Park - on this day in 1997! 🇨🇴🔙 pic.twitter.com/CythCxAD7W
— Newcastle United (@NUFC) September 17, 2025
Barcelona’s dominance
The return leg in November 1997 was very different and under the heavy rain it was the Catalan side who defeated the Tyneside. The 17th minute Giovanni Silva scored the decisive goal assisted by Pep Guardiola.
Five years later, Sir Bobby Robson took his Newcastle side to Camp Nou in December 2002, a stadium he knew intimately from his own managerial spell.
Dani Garcia’s opener was cancelled by Shola Ameobi, but Patrick Kluivert and Thiago Motta restored Barcelona’s authority in a 3-1 win.
Kluivert and Motta once more found the net when the two clubs met again in March 2003 at St. James’ Park, Catalan side won 2-0.
Head-to-head record
- Sep 17, 1997: Newcastle United 3–2 Barcelona (Champions League group stage)
- Nov 26, 1997: Barcelona 1–0 Newcastle United (Champions League group stage)
- Dec 11, 2002: Barcelona 3–1 Newcastle United (Champions League second group stage)
- Mar 19, 2003: Newcastle United 0–2 Barcelona (Champions League second group stage)