Who will Barcelona play next in the Champions League? Round-of-16 opponents, UCL draw

Barcelona will face Newcastle United in the UEFA Champions League round of 16, after being matched up with the Premier League team in Friday’s draw in Nyon, Switzerland.

What is Barcelona’s record against Newcastle?

Barça have not only faced Newcastle in previous editions of the Champions League, but have also come up against the Magpies once already in this year’s tournament.

The Catalans have crossed paths with Newcastle five times - most recently in September. Barça traveled to St. James’ Park for Matchday 1, coming away with a 2-1 win.

Their clubs’ first Champions League encounter was in the 1997–98 edition - both teams won their respective home games but were eliminated at the group stage. The next meeting was during the second group stage of the 2002–03 campaign, with Barça beating Newcastle home and away.

When is the Champions League round of 16?

• First leg: Tuesday, Mar. 10/Wednesday, Mar. 11
• Second leg: Tuesday, Mar. 17/Wednesday, Mar. 18

How did Barcelona and Newcastle reach the round of 16?

Out of the three remaining Spanish teams left in this year’s Champions League, Barcelona were the only ones who didn’t have to book their place in the last 16 via the playoffs.

Hansi Flick’s team finished the league phase occupying fifth position in the final standings, meaning they automatically qualified for the knockout stage proper. As one of the seeded teams, they will have home advantage in the return leg of their round-of-16 tie.

Meanwhile, Newcastle had to negotiate the knockout-phase playoffs after finishing 12th in the league phase. Once in the playoffs, they booked their last-16 spot with 9-3 aggregate win over Qarabag.

Champions League knockout stage - the bracket in full:

Friday’s draw left Barcelona and Newcastle on what is, in theory, the more straightforward side of the knockout-stage bracket. Placed on the ‘blue’ side of the draw, they will - until the final, at least - avoid several European giants, including holders Paris Saint-Germain, 15-time champions Real Madrid, and six-time continental kings Bayern Munich and Liverpool.

Barcelona’s potential path to the Champions League final:

Quarterfinals:

• Newcastle/Barcelona vs Atlético Madrid/Tottenham

Semifinals:

• Newcastle/Barcelona/Atlético Madrid/Tottenham vs Bodø/Glimt/Sporting/Bayer Leverkusen/Arsenal

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