The UEFA Champions League Round of 16 has arrived as Barcelona will travel to England to take on Newcastle on Tuesday.
Newcastle disposed of Qarabag in the playoff round to advance, while Barcelona automatically qualified for this stage of the tournament after finishing fifth in the League Phase.
Barcelona are +130 favorites on the moneyline, while a draw is available at +295. Fancy a Newcastle upset? The Magpies are +180 on the moneyline on DraftKings Sportsbook.
Newcastle vs. Barcelona Prediction, Pick
In my opinion, this should be the best game on Tuesday’s slate. Although Newcastle missed out on the top eight of the League Phase table, they were right in the mix to get it until the end. Ultimately, they came up just short and finished 12th before demolishing Qarabag 9-3 on aggregate in the playoff round. Now they take on Barcelona for the second time so far this season at St. James’ Park, having lost 2-1 to the Spanish side in the League Phase.
Barcelona have won two of their four road games in the Champions League so far this season, drawing one and losing one. Newcastle have been solid at home, winning four of their five home games. The one loss, however, was that 2-1 defeat at the hands of their opponents Barca.
The La Liga leaders enter this game on a four-game win streak in all competitions. They sit four points clear at the top of La Liga and have won six of their last seven games in the league. On the flip side, Newcastle have had a mixed bag of results recently. They’ve lost three of their last five games in all competitions, beating Qarabag and Man United in between two losses to Man City and a defeat to Everton. The Magpies are 12th in the Premier League and are out of all cup competitions. That means that their season essentially rests in the hands of the Champions League.
Barcelona are the better team on paper and on the pitch. The Spanish side have already won at St. James’ Park once this season, and I’m backing them to do it a second time on Tuesday in the first leg of the Round of 16.
