Barcelona travel to St James’ Park to face Newcastle United in their opening Champions League group stage match on Thursday evening.
Hansi Flick will be without his young superstar Lamine Yamal, who misses out through injury after a stunning start to Barcelona’s season.
The 18-year-old forward has two goals and three assists in just three La Liga games, but injury rules him out, reports Sport Witness.
AS reports Barcelona will also lack strong away support, with fewer than 800 travelling fans expected inside St James’ Park tonight.
Newcastle had allocated 2,600 tickets to the Spanish champions, but less than 30% of those were actually taken up.
Newcastle Atmosphere a Big Factor
Spanish newspaper AS warns of the “great atmosphere” at St James’ Park, where Newcastle fans never stop backing their players.
Read Also: Real Madrid Target €80m Tottenham Defender For Summer Transfer
Barcelona “will practically have to do it alone,” as hardly any Blaugrana supporters have travelled due to expensive travel costs.
AS estimate only 772 Barcelona fans will be in attendance, leaving Flick’s side to rely on their own resilience against Newcastle.
Meanwhile, Newcastle fans are celebrating Yamal’s absence, believing Barcelona will be less intimidating without their explosive teenage winger in the lineup.
One Magpies supporter joked at The Strawberry pub: “Will Lamine not play? One more pint,” highlighting relief across Tyneside.
COMMENTS