Newcastle United have identified their opponents for the league phase of the Champions League in the UEFA Champions League draw.
In the Champions division division phase this season, Newcastle United will face Barcelona, PSG, Bayer Leverkusen, Benfica, Marseille, PSV Eindhoven, Athletic Club, and Royal Union Saint-Gilloise. The Magpies were assigned to Pot Four of the draw, which included six English teams.
They were prohibited from being drawn against any of the five other clubs from England by UEFA regulations, and they were restricted to only two opponents from the same nation. The Magpies were the lowest-ranked English team in the draw and the third-lowest-ranked team in the entire draw, with the exception of Kairat Almaty of Kazakhstan and Pafos of Cyprus, both of whom are beginning their inaugural season in the Champions League and have a lower coefficient.
In the league stage, Eddie Howe’s team will play four games at home and four games away. They are aware that they must avoid concluding with a score of 25-36 in order to advance to the knockout stage. In the upcoming days, the confirmed dates of the games will be disclosed. They will play one home game against a team from each pot and one away game against a team from each pot.
A top-eight outcome, despite its improbability, would guarantee their advancement to the Round of 16 and prevent them from being required to participate in an additional play-off knockout round. In contrast to the previous instance, when the Champions League was a 32-team competition with eight groups of four and home and away games against each team in their group, this league stage will feature eight entirely distinct teams.
The 2024/25 Champions League draw for Newcastle United
Following an atypical draw, the Magpies were initially informed of their opponents from Pot One, which consisted of Barcelona and PSG. It is a well-known fact that the Magpies confronted PSG in their most recent Champions League campaign, defeating the French team 4-1 at St James’ Park in their first home game in the competition in over a decade.
Kylian Mbappe’s late penalty prevented them from securing a historic victory at the Parc des Princes. This time, they will have the chance to avenge that defeat. The Champions League trophy is, of course, held by PSG.
Barcelona’s visit to St James’ Park also presents Newcastle United with the opportunity to reignite another European rivalry. In 1997, the Magpies achieved their most renowned Champions League victory with the assistance of a Tino Asprilla hat-trick.
In a rematch of their encounter in the 2012/13 Europa League, Benfica will also visit Tyneside. After winning 3-1 in Portugal, the Portuguese team defeated Alan Pardew’s Newcastle United 4-2 over two legs.
An away match against Marseille, another team with which they have a history in Europe, was awarded to them in Pot Three. Marseille emerged victorious over the Magpies in the semi-final of the 2003/04 UEFA Cup. PSV Eindhoven, a club that was previously managed by Sir Bobby Robson, will also be traveling to Tyneside.
Pot Two resulted in a visit to Bayer Leverkusen. Erik ten Hag, who previously served as the manager of Manchester United, is presently overseeing Leverkusen.
The Magpies will face Athletic Club at St James’ Park, a team with which they have a history in the Champions League. Royal Union Saint-Gilloise, a Belgian club, was the final team to be drawn against Newcastle United.
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