At a glance
- Newcastle forward sends message to Barcelona
- Newcastle must exploit Barca’s key weakness
- Can Barnes’ words be delivered?
Newcastle United winger Harvey Barnes has issued a warning to Barcelona ahead of the second leg at the Camp Nou on Wednesday. The English winger scored a late goal for the Magpies, but an added-time penalty from Lamine Yamal meant the first-leg level ended 1-1.
With the tie very much in the balance ahead of the second leg, Barnes gave a clear message to the Spanish side. Speaking to the Newcastle Chronicle, Barnes said: “You have to respect their quality but not respect them on the pitch.”
Newcastle showed that style in the first leg, with several strong performances from key players. Lewis Hall performed extremely well in handling Yamal.
Barnes added, “You have to make their lives miserable.”
The Englishman then sent a warning about the challenge the Catalans have ahead of them:
“We’ve shown time and again that when we play at our best, we can compete with these top teams.“
He added:
“You can’t show them too much respect. If you do, they’ll punish you and create chance after chance,”
Barnes also mentioned their desire to make it a tough game for the current La Liga leaders next Wednesday. A 1-0 win over Chelsea on Saturday means the Magpies will be flying to Catolina full of confidence.
Tie so far
Newcastle took on Barcelona in the first tie and gave Hansi Flick’s team a proper European game. St James’ Park was electric under the lights, causing issues for the Spaniards’ backline all evening.
Barnes gave the hosts the lead following a cross from Jacob Murphy, who found him unmarked at the back post as he squeezed his effort past Joan Garcia. This was the Englishman’s 14th goal this season, with six of them coming in the Champions League in 11 appearances.
It seemed like the Magpies would take a 1-0 lead into the second leg until Malick Thiaw tripped Yamal deep into added time. The Spanish teenager stepped up and sent Aaron Ramsdale the wrong way, before he celebrated in front of the Toon Army.
Magpies’ European strategy
This is Newcastle’s deepest run in the Champions League. It’s also the furthest they have gone in any European competition since the Europa League quarter-finals in the 2012-13 season, where they lost to Benfica.
Eddie Howe’s men have won two on the road so far this season, at Union Saint-Gilloise and Qarabag, but in their 2023-24 Champions League campaign, they failed to win a game away from home.
If the Tyneside giants are to advance through to the quarterfinals, they must play to their strengths and exploit Barca’s weaknesses. Their recent performances in the Champions League showed they like to play with an aggressively high defensive line.
Newcastle’s pace will be a huge advantage, with Barnes and William Osula causing problems on the night. Howe will also be happy to add Anthony Gordon back into the starting XI after returning in their game against Chelsea after suffering from an illness.
If Hall can limit Yamal’s influence, and the return of Tino Livramento or Kieran Trippier can stop Raphinha’s advances on the left wing, Newcastle’s speed could become the catalyst of Barcelona’s downfall, and Barnes plan of making them ‘miserable’ would be complete.
