Barcelona do not have long between their two game this week, and were forced to travel to England directly from Bilbao to prepare for the UEFA Champions League clash on Tuesday night.
The Blaugrana take on Newcastle United in the first leg of the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 and will be heavy favourites to advance.
Having the second leg at home, the Catalans are expected to comfortably advance and move through to the quarterfinal. But, the Premier League club will put up a fight, especially in front of their own fans at St James’ Park tomorrow.
When the two teams faced off earlier this season, Barcelona were without Lamine Yamal and won the game 2-1 thanks to a stunning brace by Marcus Rashford. Tomorrow, they will have a full-strength attack for the same fixture.
Barça Universal brings you three talking points ahead of Newcastle United vs Barcelona.
Learning from the past
The last time Barcelona played the first leg of a two-legged affair, matters did not go too well and the team will keep that in mind when they take to the field tomorrow.
Having the second leg at home is indeed a massive advantage for Barcelona, but they also had the same fortune when they took on Atletico Madrid last month in the semifinal of the Copa del Rey.
However, they collapsed to a 4-0 defeat in the first leg against Los Rojiblancos and took home the worst possible result, placing themselves in dire trouble for the second leg. They gave their all in the eventual reverse fixture, but that deficit was too much to turn around.
Barcelona, thus, must be aware to stay alert, in the moment, and clearly aware of the fact that they will have ninety more minutes to comfortably take the result after tomorrow’s game.
The effort, thus, must not just be directed towards a win but towards bringing home a result that can be defended or is workable with.
A battle of intensity
Playing Newcastle United at St James’ Park this season has not been easy for any visiting team, and Barcelona are one of the few teams to have gone and conquered the venue.
What makes the English side so formidable at their home venue, needless to say, is the intensity with which they come out at St James’ Park, which is difficult to deal with for visiting oppositions.
When Barcelona took on Newcastle United earlier this season in the league stage of the UEFA Champions League, they faced off against that very high-pressing, high-intensity system and initially struggled to adapt to the same.
Tomorrow’s game, thus, will depend largely on how Hansi Flick prepares his men to counter that pressure and dominate the proceedings, something that will largely depend on the midfield.
The contributions of Raphinha, Fermin Lopez, Pedri, Marc Bernal, and Lamine Yamal will be vital to track down Newcastle and retain the possession – something that hosts will not give away easily.
Should Barcelona survive the initial onslaught and burst of energy, they will have a worn-out opposition to take down in the second half of the game and can capitalise, as happened earlier this season.
Will Flick tweak the defence?
Newcastle United bring with them a serious aerial threat in attack, something Barcelona are not accustomed to defending against, nor have a great track record with.
Anthony Gordon, in all likelihood, will start up top for the hosts, and he enters the game in red-hot form.
With ten goals in as many UEFA Champions League appearances, he has been a big threat in front of goal. His physicality and ability in the air make him a dangerous opponent, and it thus remains to be seen what Flick decides on the defence.
Pau Cubarsi and Gerard Martin put up a solid performance against Atletico Madrid and Athletic Club, and would be the natural choice to continue as the starting pair. However, neither player boasts of a strong aerial presence.
The one player available who can provide that tick in the box is Ronald Araujo, but one is forced to ask the question if the Uruguayan is ready to step it up in the UEFA Champions League once more.
After all, it was in the same competition that he last made a game-defining error that forced him into a hiatus from the game to disconnect and recalibrate.
The pairing Flick opts for will count for a big part of Barcelona’s defensive tactics, buildup-phase, and stability at the back. His decision, thus, will be crucial.c
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