Barcelona to win
St. James' Park will likely be a cauldron on Tuesday night, as it was when Barcelona visited back in September, but after a fast start the away side settled into the game and their quality on the ball eventually showed, with Rashford scoring a superb brace before Anthony Gordon pulled one back in stoppage time.
Newcastle's fortress has been breached more than they'd like of late, losing four of their last six home games in all competitions, although Barca have been shaky on the road recently, losing two of their previous four away trips in La Liga and also suffering a 4-0 hammering at Atletico Madrid in the Copa Del Rey.
Eddie Howe's side have struggled for consistency all year, encapsulated in this past week. After playing the second half with ten men, Newcastle put in a superb shift against in-form Man United and were rewarded with a stunning last minute winner from Will Osula. They failed to capitalise on that momentum, putting in a lacklustre performance against a rotated Man City team in the FA Cup three days later. The Magpies are 12th in the Premier League, and face a battle to secure any form of European football for next season.
In contrast, Barcelona sit clear at the top of La Liga by four points and have Lamine Yamal back to full health, after he missed the two teams' meeting earlier this season. We think the Blaugrana will have too much for the Toon once again, with the first-leg ending with the same 2-1 scoreline, giving Newcastle a mountain to climb in the second-leg next week.
