The UEFA Champions League round of 16 is finally here, with one of the top ties, Newcastle United-FC Barcelona, commencing on Tuesday night. Newcastle will get to play at home first, and they’ll welcome Jacob Ramsey back from a domestic suspension this one. FA disciplinary rulings do not carry over to continental competition anyway, so Ramsey would be good on that regardless.
Elsewhere Valentino Livramento is recovering from a thigh injury, and there is hope for him and his team that he’ll be fit enough to feature in this one.
UEFA Champions League Round of 16
FC Barcelona at Newcastle United Leg 1 of 2
Kickoff: Tue March 10, St. James Park, Newcastle, UK
Google Result Probability for 90 Min: FC Barcelona 41% Draw 25% Newcastle United 34%
Preview Material for Both Sides: Team News Predicted Starting XIs
Team News for Both Sides
And while Newcastle lost last night to Manchester City, at least their squad selection situation improved over the weekend. Nick Woltemade (unspecified illness) and Sandro Tonali (thigh injury) came back into the fold.
However, the following injured quartet of players remain sidelined for this match: Bruno Guimaraes (thigh), Emil Krafth (knee), Lewis Miley (thigh) and Fabian Schar (ankle).
Shifting gears to Barcelona, the only change to their injury/fitness/availability situation, after the win over Athletic Bilbao yesterday, is Marc Bernal.
He came off at halftime yesterday, as he was dealing with stomach problems. Barca will hope it’s not too serious, and that he’ll be ready to feature, in time for this one. Elsewhere, Alejandro Balde and Jules Kounde (both hamstring) were just added to the team’s infirmary last week. They joined the likes of other Blaugranes walking wounded Frenkie de Jong (hamstring), Andreas Christensen (ACL) and Gavi (knee).
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, RG.org and Ratings.org. 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 and the Washington Post.