Newcastle up against it in daunting Camp Nou clash

Newcastle will be up against it when they travel to the Camp Nou in the second-leg of their round of 16 Champions League clash against Barcelona on Wednesday evening.

The tie is delicately poised after a 1-1 draw in last week’s first leg at St James' Park. Newcastle winger Harvey Barnes appeared to have secured victory for the hosts with an 86th-minute strike before Barcelona teenager Lamine Yamal converted a dramatic penalty in the 96th minute to level the contest.

The late equaliser could prove significant. Barcelona have progressed from each of their last 10 Champions League knockout ties after drawing the first leg away from home, with their last such elimination coming against Juventus in the 2002-03 quarterfinals.

The Catalan giants will also take confidence from their attacking consistency. They have failed to score in just one of their last 29 Champions League matches – a 3-0 defeat away to Chelsea F.C. earlier this season. However, defensive frailties remain a concern, with Barcelona having gone 12 consecutive matches in the competition without a clean sheet.

Barcelona’s record against English oppositions at home is formidable. They have lost only two of their 37 UEFA competition matches at home to English clubs (W22 D13) and are unbeaten in their last 14 such games since a 2-1 defeat to Liverpool in 2006-07.

The hosts head into the clash in high spirits after a 5-2 win over Sevilla in La Liga on Sunday, a result that restored their four-point lead at the top of the table.

Newcastle, meanwhile, bounced back from their first-leg frustration with a 1-0 Premier League victory away to Chelsea, courtesy of a first-half strike from Anthony Gordon – their fourth win in five away games across all competitions.

Eddie Howe’s side have also impressed in Europe, going unbeaten in their last six Champions League matches (W3 D3). In this season’s competition they have lost just two of 11 games (W6 D3), including a 2-1 defeat at home to Barcelona on matchday one.

Victory in Spain would send Newcastle into uncharted territory as the Magpies have never progressed beyond the Champions League round of 16.