The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Barcelona

  • UCL: Things to know as Newcastle takes on Barcelona at St James’ Park

    UCL: Things to know as Newcastle takes on Barcelona at St James’ Park

    Newcastle United will welcome Spanish giants FC Barcelona to St James’ Park on Wednesday night in what promises to be a high-stakes Champions League showdown.

    The fixture marks the opening matchday of the 2025/26 UEFA Champions League League Phase, with both teams aiming to begin their campaigns with maximum points.

    For Newcastle, it’s a return to Europe’s elite competition after missing out last season, while Barcelona comes into the contest with high expectations, despite several injury concerns.

    Current Form

    Newcastle United

    The Magpies have had a mixed start to the Premier League season. While they’ve shown moments of defensive resilience and a recent home win over Wolves gave fans a boost, inconsistency in attack remains a concern. Eddie Howe’s side will look to channel the energy of a packed St James’ Park to unsettle the Spanish visitors.

    Barcelona

    Barcelona have started strongly in La Liga, including a dominant 6-0 win over Valencia. Despite injuries to key players, the Catalans have looked sharp in front of goal and will be confident of taking points on the road. However, their defence has shown vulnerabilities that Newcastle could look to exploit.

    Head-to-Head Record

    –        This will be the fifth competitive meeting between the two sides.

    –        Barcelona have won three of the previous four encounters.

    –        Newcastle have won once.

    –        Their last meeting came in March 2003, with Barcelona winning 2-0 at St James’ Park.

    –        Barcelona also boasts a solid record against English teams in Europe, winning 12 of their last 16 encounters with Premier League opposition.

    Team News

    Barcelona Absentees:

    Lamine Yamal (groin)

    Marc-André ter Stegen (knee)

    Gavi (ACL)

    Alejandro Balde (hamstring)

    Doubtful: Frenkie de Jong (muscle) – included in squad, but fitness will be assessed.

    Newcastle Absentees:

    Jacob Ramsey (ankle)

    Yoane Wissa (knee)

    Eddie Howe has a near full-strength squad apart from long-term injuries.

    Expected Line-Ups

    Newcastle United (4-3-3)

    Pope; Trippier, Schär, Dan Burn, Livramento; Bruno Guimarães, Tonali, Joelinton; Elanga, Woltemade, Gordon

    Barcelona (4-2-3-1)

    Joan García; Koundé, Cubarsí, Eric García, Gerard Martín; Pedri, Casadó/De Jong; Raphinha, Fermin López, Rashford; Lewandowski

    Read Also: Champions League: Newcastle brace for  stiff test against Milan

    Key Players to Watch

    Robert Lewandowski (Barcelona): The Polish striker remains one of Europe’s most prolific forwards and will be central to Barca’s attack.

    Raphinha (Barcelona): In excellent form, capable of unlocking defenses with pace and creativity.

    Bruno Guimarães (Newcastle): The heartbeat of Newcastle’s midfield, tasked with breaking Barca’s rhythm.

    Anthony Gordon (Newcastle): In-form winger who could exploit Barca’s injury-hit left side.

    Stats and Insights

    –        Barcelona’s average 2.1 goals per game against English opposition in the Champions League.

    –        Newcastle have only one win in their last eight European games, but they remain strong at home.

    –        The Magpies have scored in all home matches this season.

    –        Barcelona have scored 14 goals in their last five matches.

    Betting Tips:

    Barcelona to Win

    Both Teams to Score (BTTS) – Newcastle will be aggressive at home, Barca’s defense isn’t flawless.

    Over 2.5 Goals

    Raphinha to score or assist

    Prediction:

    Newcastle 1–3 Barcelona

  • Barcelona hit six against Valencia as Rashford makes first assist

    Barcelona hit six against Valencia as Rashford makes first assist

    Barcelona thrashed Valencia with Marcus Rashford involved in a La Liga goal for the first time.

    Fermin Lopez, Raphinha and Robert Lewandowski scored two goals each for the Spanish champions.

    Half-time substitute Raphinha’s first goal – to make it 2-0 – came from a brilliant left-wing cross from England forward Rashford.

    The Manchester United loanee, making his second start for Barca, played 67 minutes and had two efforts off target in a lively outing.

    Lopez had run onto Ferran Torres’ ball to net their opener and smashed in a fantastic strike from outside the box to make it 3-0. Raphinha then rifled in their fourth.

    Read Also: Rashford raps Man United over flays constant managerial changes

    Lewandowski, also a substitute, finished off Dani Olmo’s pass and then dinked in a sixth – a goal given by the video assistant referee after initially being ruled offside.

    Barca could easily have won by more goals, with Torres also hitting the post after a Rashford cross was flicked into his path.

    The game was played at the 6,000-capacity Johan Cruyff Stadium, where Barca’s B team usually play, because the Nou Camp is not ready yet after being redeveloped.

  • Barca to play home opener at training ground

    Barca to play home opener at training ground

    Barcelona will kick off their home LaLiga campaign in front of 6,000 fans at their training ground stadium after Camp Nou renovation delays left the Spanish giants effectively homeless.

    The club announced that they will face Valencia at the Johan Cruyff Stadium on Sunday, a modest venue at their Sant Joan Despi training facilities on the outskirts of Barcelona.

    The move to stage their fourth LaLiga game this season there comes after the iconic Camp Nou renovation fell nine months behind schedule, forcing the club to find a temporary solution.

    The cramped 6,000-seat venue required LaLiga to grant Barca a special exemption from competition rules requiring first-division clubs to have a minimum capacity of 15,000 seats.

    League technicians have spent the past week inspecting the Johan Cruyff Stadium facilities and demanding essential adjustments, including VAR camera installations.

    Read Also: Jalla carpets NSC, NFF on ‘no show’  at Rufai’s burials

    Barca had desperately hoped to return to a reduced-capacity Camp Nou with 27,000 spectators, but failed to obtain the necessary permits from Barcelona City Council.

    The alternative Lluis Companys Olympic Stadium, where they have been staging their games for the past couple of seasons with the lowest attendance in their recent history, was ruled out after a Post Malone concert left the pitch in poor condition.

    “The Club is working intensively to obtain the necessary administrative permits for the opening of the Spotify Camp Nou stadium in the near future. Therefore, the match will ultimately be played at the Estadi Johan Cruyff,” the club said in a statement.

    “FC Barcelona thanks its members and fans for their understanding and support during the complex yet exciting process of returning to the new Spotify Camp Nou. The Club will soon provide information on all details regarding match organization and ticketing.”

    The crisis leaves Barcelona, coming off a LaLiga title and strong Champions League run, as a club without a home with the season already under way.

  • Man Utd forward Rashford passes Barcelona medical

    Man Utd forward Rashford passes Barcelona medical

    Manchester United forward Marcus Rashford has passed a medical at Barcelona before his loan move.

    The 27-year-old arrived in Catalonia on Sunday night after getting permission from United to complete the formalities of a move.

    The England international was met by Barcelona manager Hansi Flick and sporting director Deco at the training ground on Monday morning.

    Talks between Barcelona and United progressed swiftly in the last week, with a deal agreed in principle over the weekend.

    Read Also: Rashford double fires Villa into FA Cup semis

    Barcelona have agreed to cover Rashford’s wages for the duration of his season-long loan after he accepted a 25% pay cut, saving United about £14m.

    The deal, which is for an initial 12 months, includes an option to buy for £30.3m (35m euros).

    Rashford will be presented to the media on Wednesday.

  • Barcelona like Rashford and Diaz – Deco

    Barcelona like Rashford and Diaz – Deco

    Barcelona sporting director Deco says the club “like” Manchester United forward Marcus Rashford and Liverpool winger Luis Diaz.

    Reports in Spain this week have linked Colombia international Diaz with a move to the Catalans, while Rashford was holding out for a transfer to the La Liga club in January before joining Aston Villa on loan.

    While there is no indication that Liverpool will listen to offers for Diaz, who has two years remaining on his contract, Rashford is available for around £40m.

    Read Also: Barcelona extend coach Flick’s contract to 2027

    “We like Luis [Diaz], we like [Marcus] Rashford, and we like other players,” Deco told Catalan radio station RAC1, external.

    “When we go to the market, there are names that we know and that could improve the team.”

  • BREAKING: Barcelona win 2025 La Liga title

    BREAKING: Barcelona win 2025 La Liga title

    Barcelona have been crowned the 2024/ 2025 La Liga champions after a 2-0 victory over Espanyol at the RCD Stadium on Thursday night.

    The title-clinching win was powered by two of Barça’s brightest young stars, Lamine Yamal and Fermín López who each found the back of the net in a dominant second half display. 

    Read Also: Barcelona edge closer to title after  4-3 win over Madrid

    Yamal, the teenage sensation, opened the scoring with a composed finish in the 53rd minute while López solidified the victory after being set up by Yamal in the 95th minute.

    The win ensures that Barcelona cannot be caught at the top of the La Liga table, sealing the title with two games to spare. 

  • Barcelona edge closer to title after  4-3 win over Madrid

    Barcelona edge closer to title after  4-3 win over Madrid

    Raphinha scored twice as Barcelona overcame a two-goal deficit to secure a crucial 4-3 home victory against rivals Real Madrid in a pulsating Clasico, edging them closer to the LaLiga title.

    The victory extends Barcelona’s lead at the top of the standings to seven points over second-placed Real Madrid and with three matches remaining, one more victory will clinch a 28th  Spanish league title for the Catalans.

    Barca earned a fourth consecutive victory over Real in all competitions this season, and their second in less than a month, in a chaotic match in which both sides showed their usual defensive weaknesses.

    However, Barca seemed a much stronger and well organised team overall, dominating possession and creating several chances that were denied by an inspired keeper Thibaut Courtois who prevented Real’s loss from being by a larger margin.

    Barcelona can secure the LaLiga title as early as Wednesday, should Real Madrid fail to win at Mallorca. However, regardless of Real’s result, a Barcelona victory in their city derby against Espanyol on Thursday would guarantee the championship for the Catalans.

    Real made a blistering start at the Montjuic Olympic Stadium, with a brace from Kylian Mbappe giving them a two-goal advantage.

    He opened the scoring from the penalty spot after he was fouled inside the box by keeper Wojciech Szczesny in the fifth minute and extended their lead with a quick counter nine minutes later from an assist by Vinicius Jr.

    Read Also: NFF mourns NPFL Match Commissioner, Abdul

    However, Barcelona responded swiftly with Eric Garcia, Lamine Yamal and Raphinha all finding the net within 15 minutes to overturn the deficit.

    Garcia headed home from a corner in the 19th minute, while Yamal scored the equaliser in the 32nd with another brilliant display of technique as he curled a superb shot from the right corner of the box just outside Courtois’ reach and inside the far post.

    Two minutes later, a bad mistake by Mbappe in the midfield gifted Barca the ball, with Raphinha launching a quick counter and giving his side the lead with a tidy finish past a helpless Courtois.

    Real thought they had earned a second penalty in the 43rd minute but it was overturned due to an offside in the build-up and, one minute later, a costly error by captain Lucas Vazquez gifted Raphinha the goal that extended Barca’s lead.

    Barcelona came back strongly in the second half and had several chances denied by a string of stunning saves by Courtois.

    They were shocked, however, when Mbappe reduced the deficit in the 70th minute after a quick counter attack by Vinicius, who ran up the right and put it on a plate for the France forward to complete his hat-trick.

    Yet last year’s champions could not recover, leaving them on the brink of a season without silverware.

    “It was obviously very important to win today. It’s great to have this game after the Champions League, I think it’s already forgotten,” Yamal told Movistar Plus after they were knocked out of Europe in the semi-finals in a heartbreaking midweek loss to Inter Milan.

    “Suffering is what makes you strong and what teaches you to correct the mistakes you make. They didn’t create any clear-cut chances other than the goals.

    “It was very important to win today to get closer to the league title. We are delighted.”

  • UCL: Frattesi shoots Inter into final after Barcelona epic

    UCL: Frattesi shoots Inter into final after Barcelona epic

    Davide Frattesi fired Inter Milan into the Champions League final  last night with an extra-time winner which gave the Italians a stunning 4-3 triumph over Barcelona, 7-6 on aggregate.

    Italy midfielder Frattesi won a tie for the ages under a downpour in Milan when he lashed home in the 99th minute, sending a packed and rocking San Siro wild with joy.

    Simone Inzaghi’s team will face either Arsenal or Paris Saint-Germain at the end of this month in Munich, where they will feel they have a great chance to be crowned kings of Europe for a fourth time after coming out on top in an epic contest.

    Tuesday’s triumph saved Inter’s season as their bid for the treble went up in smoke after getting past Bayern Munich in the quarter-finals.

    Inter conceded top spot in Serie A to Napoli, who are favourites to claim the domestic league title, after getting past Bayern while AC Milan dumped them out of the Italian Cup a fortnight ago.

    But Inter ended Barca’s hopes for the quadruple and now head into the final weeks of the season buoyant with a second Champions League final in three seasons to look forward to.

    Read Also: Barcelona, Liverpool, five others  line up for Lookman’s signature

    Frattesi’s winning goal, his seventh of the season and probably the most important of his career, was all the more incredible for the fact that Inter should by rights have already been eliminated.

    The hosts were heading out with two minutes remaining of regular time when Raphinha completed a comeback from two goals down at half-time and gave Barca a 3-2 lead on the night.

    But Francesco Acerbi stunned everyone in the stadium, not least the already-celebrating Barca supporters, when he forced home Denzel Dumfries’ cross in the second minute of added time.

    That goal came as a bolt from the blue as Barca had been by far the better team in the second half of normal time after going in at the break behind to a brilliant Lautaro Martinez goal and Hakan Calhanoglu’s penalty in first half stoppage-time.

    Eric Garcia and Dani Olmo pulled Barca level with goals in the 54th and 60th  minutes, both from sumptuous Gerard Martin deliveries, and Yann Sommer had to be at his best to keep Inter within touching distance.

    Sommer made possibly the save of the season between Barca’s first two goals, somehow stopping Eric Garcia from finishing off a lightning Barca counter-attack.

     And the Swiss ended up being crucial again in the 113th minute when he pulled off another miraculous save from Lamine Yamal, who hit the post just before Acerbi’s equaliser.

    Inter then held off Barca as the home fans held their breath before unleashing a mighty roar at the final whistle of the match of the season.

  • I interceded for Barcelona’s win against Inter Milan – Dunsin Oyekan

    I interceded for Barcelona’s win against Inter Milan – Dunsin Oyekan

    Gospel singer Dunsin Oyekan has attributed Barcelona’s 3-3 draw with Inter Milan to his spiritual intervention.

    He claimed on X that his son predicted an Inter Milan win, saying he used “mantle” to alter the outcome.

    Recall that Barcelona recovered to draw 3-3 with Inter Milan on Wednesday night after conceding a goal in the first minute of play.

    Read Also: I don’t charge to minister, says Dunsin Oyekan

    Oyekan shared this on social media, crediting “Opelope anointing” for the result.

    He wrote: “My son said Inter Milan was going to win, I said no, it’s Barca… I had to use a mantle to change it. Opelope anointing”.

  • UCL: Preview, analysis, predictions of Barcelona Vs Inter Milan

    UCL: Preview, analysis, predictions of Barcelona Vs Inter Milan

    Barcelona will host Inter Milan at the iconic Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys on Wednesday evening for the highly anticipated first leg of their Champions League semifinal clash. The Spanish giants will look to take a strong step towards securing a place in the final, as they face off against the formidable Italian side in what promises to be a thrilling encounter. Both teams will be eager to make a statement in this crucial match, with Barcelona hoping to capitalize on home advantage and Inter aiming to build momentum ahead of the second leg.

    Barcelona secured a dramatic Copa del Rey victory over Real Madrid at the weekend, with Jules Kounde’s extra-time goal giving Hansi Flick his second piece of silverware in his debut season. With Barcelona leading La Liga and still in the hunt for the Champions League, the quadruple remains a possibility.

    However, to keep their European dreams alive, Barcelona must overcome Inter Milan in a challenging two-legged semifinal. While Barcelona’s attacking trio could find it tough to break down Simone Inzaghi’s solid defense, Inter’s recent struggles offer some hope. The Nerazzurri have lost their last three matches without scoring, and they’ll be cautious as they head to Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys, aiming to secure a respectable result ahead of next week’s second leg at San Siro.

    When, Where, Referee

    Location: Barcelona, Spain

    Stadium: Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys

    Date: Wednesday April 30

    Kick-off Time: 8:00pm

    Referee: Clement Turpin (FRA)

    VAR Jerome Brisard (FRA)  

    Barcelona vs Inter head-to-head record (last five games)

    Barcelona: 2 wins

    Inter: 1 win

    Draws: 2

    Last meeting: Barcelona 3-3 Inter (12 October 2022) – Champions League

    Current form (all competitions)

    Read Also: Barcelona, Liverpool, five others  line up for Lookman’s signature

    Barcelona

    Barcelona 3-2 Real Madrid (AET) – 26/04/25

    Barcelona 1-0 Mallorca – 22/04/25

    Barcelona 4-3 Celta Vigo – 19/04/25

    Borussia Dortmund 3-1 Barcelona – 15/04/25

    Leganes 0-1 Barcelona – 12/04/25

    Inter Milan

    Inter 0-1 Roma – 27/04/25

    Inter 0-3 Milan – 23/04/25

    Bologna 1-0 Inter – 20/03/25

    Inter 2-2 Bayern Munich – 16/04/25

    Inter 3-1 Cagliari – 12/04/25

    How to Watch Barcelona vs Inter on TV

    United States

    Paramount+, TUDN.com, Univision NOW, TUDN App, ViX, CBS Sports Golazo, TUDN USA, Univision

    United Kingdom

    TNT Sports 1, TNT Sports Ultimate, discovery+, discovery+ App

    Canada

    DAZN Canada

    Mexico

    TNT Sports, MAX

    Barcelona Predicted Lineup vs Inter

    Barcelona predicted lineup vs Inter (4-2-3-1): Szczesny; Kounde, Cubarsi, Martinez, Martin; De Jong, Pedri; Yamal, Olmo, Raphinha; Torres.

    Inter Predicted Lineup vs Barcelona

    Inter predicted lineup vs Barcelona (3-5-2): Sommer; Bisseck, Acerbi, Bastoni; Dumfries, Mkhitaryan, Calhanoglu, Barella, Dimarco; Martinez, Thuram.

    Prediction

    Barcelona 2-1 Inter