Marcus Rashford marked his first big Champions League night in Barcelona colours with a stunning brace against Newcastle at St. James’ Park. The forward became only the second Englishman to score for Barca in Europe, earning glowing praise from Hansi Flick, Ronald Araujo and Joan Garcia after firing the Catalan giants to a vital 2-1 win.
Bruno Fernandes was left stunned as Marcus Rashford scored a screamer against Newcastle. The English forward delivered a Champions League masterclass in Barcelona colours, leaving even his Manchester United teammates in awe. The on-loan forward silenced St James’ Park with two goals of pure class as the Spanish champions edged the Magpies in a dramatic European opener.
Newcastle United promised so much on their return to the Champions League but Marcus Rashford's moments of magic secured Barcelona a hard-fought 2-1 win. Eddie Howe's team got their tactics spot on for the majority of the contest but the Catalan outfit had that extra bit of quality, despite Anthony Gordon's late consolation strike.
Marcus Rashford has belatedly arrived at Barcelona - and all it took was a return to England to spark the Manchester United misfit into life, with the forward netting a breathtaking brace in the Blaugrana's 2-1 win over Newcastle at St. James' Park.
Rafael Benitez claims that Newcastle United are "missing" Alexander Isak already following his big-money move to Liverpool. After going on strike and trying to force a St James' Park exit, the Sweden international finally joined the Reds for a British record fee of £125 million ($169m) on transfer deadline day. Now, the Spaniard, who managed both sides, says Isak's departure is a big loss for the Magpies.
The Special One is back on familiar ground! Jose Mourinho, who is set to take charge of Benfica on a two-year deal, will find himself on English soil twice within the next month as the Champions League league phase unfolds. With trips to both Stamford Bridge and St James’ Park on the horizon, Mourinho is set for an early reunion with his former hunting ground..
Barcelona will kick off their Champions League campaign against Newcastle at St James’ Park on Thursday with injuries clouding preparations. Lamine Yamal is ruled out, but coach Hansi Flick is placing his faith in Marcus Rashford to step up. With Frenkie de Jong and Gavi’s fitness also under scrutiny, the Blaugrana enter the competition looking to improve on last season’s heartbreak.
Hansi Flick admits he is aware of the physical size and strength of Newcastle United ahead of Barcelona’s Champions League opener at St James’ Park on Thursday night. The German coach praised Eddie Howe’s work in transforming the Magpies into a dynamic and physical side, while stressing the need for his own players to adapt quickly in what he expects will be one of the toughest atmospheres in Europe.
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.
Bruno Guimaraes has called for Newcastle to avoid the heartbreak of losing key players like Alexander Isak in the future, following the £125 million sale of the Swedish striker to Liverpool this summer. Speaking ahead of Newcastle’s Champions League clash with Barcelona, the Brazilian star and Magpies captain made it clear that the dressing room does not want to see any more prized assets depart St James' Park.
Newcastle legend Alan Shearer has delivered a fiery warning to Barcelona ahead of their Champions League opener, insisting the Spanish heavyweights won’t find life easy at St James’ Park. The Magpies icon, speaking ahead of Thursday night’s clash, believes his old club are more than capable of denting Barca’s campaign and snatching vital points on home soil.
Lamine Yamal will not be available for the Champions League opener against Newcastle on Thursday, much to the dismay of head coach Hansi Flick. A war of words broke out between the German and the Spanish FA after he criticised the Spanish national team for not looking after Yamal. However, on the bright side, Frenkie de Jong has been named in the matchday squad.
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.
Erling Haaland was back to his very best as the striker led Manchester City to a thumping derby win over Manchester United on Sunday. The Norwegian made yet more history, becoming the joint-top scorer in the fixture as well as the fastest player to reach 90 Premier League goals. And a beaming Pep Guardiola declared that Haaland was in the best form of his career.
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 has defended his decision to delay Alexander Isak’s Liverpool debut by pointing to Yoane Wissa’s recent injury at Newcastle. The Reds’ £125 million ($170m) signing was left out of the squad against Burnley, with the Dutchman warning that rushing him back after a summer stand-off and no pre-season could risk long-term damage to the Swedish striker.
Eddie Howe was delighted with Nick Woltemade's goalscoring debut after landing the striker to replace Alexander Isak. Handed the impossible task of stepping into the void left by £125 million ($170m) Isak, the 23-year-old German silenced any doubters with a thunderous debut goal in front of a raucous St James’ Park crowd.
Nick Woltemade's career on Tyneside got off to the best possible start, as the German striker scored the winner in Newcastle's 1-0 win over Wolves at St. James's Park. The 22-year-old spoke positively about the experience, and his new manager Eddie Howe, but also admitted "the Premier League is quite hard", revealing he was experiencing cramp during his debut.
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
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