Newcastle vs Barcelona: Champions League odds, betting tips and predictions

• Ladbrokes brings you its betting tips and predictions ahead of Newcastle vs Barcelona.

• Barcelona are predicted to emerge from St. James' Park with three points.

• Joelinton is tipped to get a yellow card, with shots on target for Raphinha and Nick Woltemade.

The Champions League 2025/26 kicks off with an entertaining encounter on Thursday at St. James' Park, as Newcastle United welcome Barcelona to Tyneside. Ladbrokes brings you the latest odds, betting tips and predictions as Eddie Howe's side look to upset the Catalans.

Barcelona are joint-favourites to win the Champions League, while Newcastle are back in Europe's top tier for the second time in three seasons. A cracking atmosphere and fascinating game awaits.

Raphinha has blossomed into one of the best players in the world at Barcelona, and the Brazilian winger returns to a stadium where he has a good record. He scored twice for Leeds at St. James' Park during his time in the Premier League.

The 28-year-old was top scorer in last season's Champions League with 13 goals in 14 games, adding nine assists as well. The Ballon d'Or candidate has started this campaign in a similar vein with three goals already, so we're backing him to get a shot on target in what could be a high-scoring affair.

Joelinton doesn't need much encouragement to get fired up, so you can imagine how much he'll be relishing the opportunity to, erm, fiercely compete with the likes of Pedri and Frenkie de Jong. The all-action Brazil international returned from injury at the weekend and if fit will almost certainly start.

His ability to cover large spaces is vital to Howe's side, but he can occasionally be caught out and has a renowned reputation for getting stuck in. In what's likely to be a bear pit in the North East, it's not too hard to see Joelinton getting carried away and getting shown a yellow card.

Nick Woltemade made the perfect start to his Newcastle career by scoring the only goal in their 1-0 win over Wolves, and looks set to have a run of games in the side with Yoane Wissa sidelined by injury.

Hansi Flick's Barcelona play a high-risk, high-reward style of football and so there should be plenty of chances for Newcastle's attackers. At 6ft 6, Woltemade will pose a threat at set pieces too, so we think there's a good chance he gets a shot on target.

It promises to be an electric atmosphere at St. James' Park and Newcastle will fly out of the blocks, attempting to channel it in the same way they did in their memorable 4-1 win over PSG in 2023. The Magpies ultimately failed to make it past the group stage, but should be better for that experience.

Barcelona know that a tough challenge awaits, made harder by the absence of Lamine Yamal, but Robert Lewandowski could be in line to start after goalscoring appearances off the bench. It'll be a must-watch match and there should be goals, but we think Barca will just about edge it, which we've backed in our Champions League acca too.

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All odds and markets are correct as of the date of publication.