Barcelona's first stop on the long road to European glory takes them to Newcastle, where they will come up against a formidable opponent and equally formidable atmosphere at St James' Park without the talismanic Lamine Yamal. The injured 18-year-old has been ruled out, having found himself at the centre of a feud between club and country, but loanee Marcus Rashford will be determined to make an impact in his absence.
Newcastle United have officially confirmed to the Premier League that the capacity of St James' Park has been expanded, but only by a very small number of seats since the start of last season. The underwhelming news has caused more frustration for fans and led to questions about the club’s progress on plans to increase capacity to 65,000 either through renovation or a new stadium.
Barcelona’s wait to return to Camp Nou drags on, as it was confirmed their upcoming La Liga clash against Getafe will be played at the 6,000-capacity Johan Cruyff Stadium. While the club hope to secure the necessary license in time, focus is already shifting to the Champions League deadline, with UEFA demanding assurances before the crunch clash against Paris Saint-Germain on October 1.
Nick Woltemade has been discussing his living arrangement since completing a transfer to Newcastle, with the German striker being joined on Tyneside by one of his best friends. Neither has an issue with their shared accommodation as they remain single and ready to embrace an exciting new challenge with Premier League giants in the north of England.
That first international break of the season always comes at just the wrong time. With teams starting to get into the groove as they switch from pre-season to competitive action, and with the final new signings of the summer arriving on deadline day, that Premier League fans had to wait two weeks to see their teams in action was almost a travesty. Fortunately, that wait is now over.
Arne Slot is adamant he has no concerns over the attitude of new signing Alexander Isak following the forward's decision to go on strike in order to force through his move to Liverpool from Newcastle. Isak, 25, joined the Reds for a British transfer record fee of £125 million (€144.5m/$169.3m) on deadline day, ending the summer-long saga surrounding his future.
Newcastle United have sensationally pulled the plug on 45 tickets allocated to pupils from the High School of Dundee for their blockbuster Champions League showdown against Barcelona, sparking a storm of controversy. But just days after news of their planned adventure broke, the Magpies confirmed the seats were being stripped away, bowing to mounting fury from their own loyal supporters.
Former Newcastle United chief Amanda Staveley was reduced to tears after hearing a fan message that thanked her for reconnecting the club "with its soul". Staveley was instrumental in bringing in Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund as the principal owner of the Magpies in 2021. She later bought a 10 per cent stake in the club, along with her husband Mehrdad Ghodoussi.
Liverpool new boy Alexander Isak has claimed that "not everyone has the whole picture" on his controversial Newcastle exit. Isak forced through a British-record transfer to Anfield on deadline day after accusing Newcastle of "broken promises" and essentially going on strike. The striker is currently on national team duty with Sweden and played his first competitive match since May against Kosovo.
Liverpool talisman Mohamed Salah has revealed the advice he gave to wonderkid Rio Ngumoha after the teenager scored a dramatic winner against Newcastle.
Alexander Isak's agent Vlado Lemic has taken a brutal swipe at Newcastle after helping the striker push through his long-awaited move to Liverpool on deadline day. The Reds broke the British transfer record by paying £125m ($169m) to sign Isak, bringing to an end a transfer saga that dominated the summer window.
Yoane Wissa has finally sealed his £55 million ($74m) move to Newcastle, with Eddie Howe landing his new No.9 after a summer-long chase for an Isak replacement.