One of the biggest fixtures of UEFA Champions League matchday 1 is Newcastle United hosting FC Barcelona. It comes on Thursday night, and that gives the match a bit of a weirder feel. When there is continental competition on a Thursday night, it has historically been Europa League or Conference League action, and thus, the inferior tournament.
And while both of those tourneys will be staged this Thursday, we also have UCL action now, because we’re in the second season of the new format. It still feels a bit strange, doesn’t it?
UEFA Champions League Matchday 1 of 8
Newcastle United vs FC Barcelona
Kickoff: Thurs. Sept 18, 8pm, St. James Park, Newcastle, UK
Preview Material for Both Sides: Team News
In looking at the starting lineup predictions, a couple major items of note here. We don’t think Lamine Yamal will be passed fit, so Marcus Rashford could get the starting nod here.
And on the other side, Anthony Gordon is still serving a suspension domestically, but the punishment from the Football Association doesn’t carry over to UEFA competition so he’ll have fresh legs for this one, and definitely needs to play here.
Starting XI Predictions
Joan Garcia; Jules Kounde, Ronald Araujo, Pau Cubasi, Gerard Martin; Pedri, Marc Casado; Raphinha, Fermin Lopez, Marcus Rashford; Robert Lewandowski
Nick Pope; Kieran Trippier, Fabian Schar, Sven Botman, Tino Livramento; Joelinton, Bruno Guimaraes, Sandro Tonali; Anthony Elanga, Nick Woltemade, Anthony Gordon
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to USA Today’s NFL Wires Network. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, the Washington Post and ESPN. You can follow him on Linked In and Twitter