After a 1-1 draw in the first leg at St. James’ Park last week, Barcelona will now host Newcastle on Wednesday at the Spotify Camp Nou for the return leg of the UEFA Champions League round of 16. The winner of this tie will face Arsenal in the quarter finals of the UEFA Champions League after the side coached by Mikel Arteta knocked Bayer Leverkusen out of the competition. Barcelona head coach Hansi Flick spoke about the upcoming fixture in the pre-match press conference.
“The squad is highly motivated. The Champions League is special. Everyone wants to play in it, and it drives you on. We have to stay positive and believe. We’re capable of winning this competition, but we need to improve and get every player performing at their best.”
Over the weekend, Barcelona president Joan Laporta won the club elections and will stay in charge of the club, while Flick committed to Barcelona, saying it might be his last club as manager: “This isn’t the time to talk about elections or anything else. We’ve got a huge game tomorrow. Everyone knows I’m happy here, but I also need to talk with my family. There will be time for that. I love working here. I’ve got a fantastic family and great support in Barcelona. In football, I always aim for the highest level. I’m not thinking about leaving. Barça will be my last club.” Here’s what you need to know ahead of the second leg.
Viewing information
- Date: Wednesday, March 18 | Time: 4 p.m. ET
- Location: Spotify Camp Nou — Barcelona
- Live stream: Paramount+
- Odds: Barcelona -174; Draw +364; Newcastle +396
Possible lineups
Barcelona XI: Joan Garcia; Eric Garcia, Pau Cubarsi, Gerard Martin, Joao Cancelo; Pedri, Marc Bernal; Lamine Yamal, Fermin Lopez, Raphinha; Ferran Torres.
Newcastle XI: Aaron Ramsdale; Kieran Trippier, Malick Thiaw, Daniel Burn, Lewis Hall; Sandro Tonali, Joelinton; Jacob Murphy, Nick Woltemade, Harvey Barnes; Anthony Gordon.
Prediction
I expect the return leg to be very different from the first one of the past week and Barcelona are expected to qualify for the top eight of the tournament. Pick: Barcelona 3, Newcastle 1.
How to watch UCL
All of the action on Matchday 5 of the UEFA Champions League can be caught on Paramount+, while CBS Sports Network and CBS Sports Golazo Network will have select simultaneous coverage. Each day’s coverage begins with Champions League Matchday, streaming on Paramount+ and CBS Sports Golazo Network ahead of the early games before the UEFA Champions League Today pre-match show begins on Paramount+ and CBS Sports Network. The Golazo Show on Paramount+ also returns for the late slate of matches, while the UEFA Champions League Today post-match show on Paramount+ and CBS Sports Network picks things up at the end of the day. The day’s coverage concludes on CBS Sports Golazo Network with The Champions Club (also streamed live on YouTube) and Scoreline.
