Credit: IMAGO.

Oliver Walton

Thu 18 September 2025 10:39, UK

Newcastle United are preparing for a huge Champions League clash against Barcelona.

The Magpies will host Hansi Flick’s Spanish champions at a sold-out, and bouncing, St. James’ Park on Thursday (18 September) evening.

Barcelona are unbeaten so far this season and will be looking to get off to a winning start in Europe.

In the opposite dugout, Eddie Howe, who is still without Yoane Wissa, will be aiming to pull off one of the competition’s biggest upsets with a shock result against the five-time Champions League winners.

And although Newcastle will be huge outsiders to leave their home ground with something, Howe could find joy in exploiting one of his side’s biggest threats.

Newcastle United are set-piece masters

Even though Yamine Lamal isn’t available for Barcelona, the Geordies still won’t expect to see as much of the ball as their rivals. That doesn’t mean Flick will have things all his own way, though.

Howe’s side are masters when it comes to dead-ball situations, and have proven to be one of England’s most effective sides when offered the chance to score from set-pieces.

Since the start of last season, Newcastle have scored an impressive 20 goals from dead-ball situations, excluding penalty kicks.

Unlikely to be able to get the better of their Catalan opponents in technical areas, Howe will want his team to make the most of free-kicks and corner kicks.

While Newcastle have a decent goalscoring record from set-piece situations, Barcelona aren’t the best when it comes to defending them.

In the same period of time, Flick’s side have given away 13 goals from set-pieces (excluding penalties), and with one of the shortest overall defences in Europe, will be even more nervous should the Magpies find themselves in a dead-ball situation.

Fabian Schar and Dan Burn could be key to scoring against Barcelona

Fabian Schar and Dan Burn are two giants of defenders, and, unsurprisingly, have great individual set-piece goalscoring records.

Out of the 20 set-piece goals Newcastle have scored since the start of last season, the pair have netted six of them.

The Magpies’ most-memorable set-piece goal came against Liverpool in last season’s Carabao Cup final when Burn opened the match’s scoring from a corner on the stroke of half-time.

In contrast, and perhaps worryingly, on the other end of the spectrum, Barcelona’s defence are among the shortest in Europe.

Although Flick has yet to name his starting XI, Gerard Martin and Jules Kounde are expected to start in the full-back positions with Pau Curbasi and Eric Garcia named as the German’s centre-back pairing.

Should that be Flick’s back line, Barcelona will have an average height of less than 6′ 0″, and that will certainly peak the interest of 6′ 1″ Schar and 6′ 6″ Burn, who will fancy their chances of adding to their set-piece goal records.