Will Nick Woltemade score again right away?

Nick Woltemade has arrived in the Premier League and is already a favorite among fans of his new club. The lanky center forward decided the Champions League dress rehearsal against Wolverhampton with his first Premier League goal for the Magpies (1-0). His goal-scoring instincts will be in demand once again in the Newcastle vs. Barcelona tip.

The Catalans showed their usual appetite for goals last weekend, dispatching Valencia 6-0. A result that was achieved without the help of brilliant winger Lamine Yamal, who is back in the lineup for the match at St. James Park and in our Newcastle vs. Barcelona prediction.

Barca provided several highlights in last season’s Champions League and did not allow themselves to be limited by any opposing defense. Hansi Flick and his team made it to the semifinals, where they treated the audience to two phenomenal duels with Inter Milan (3-3, 3-4 a.e.t.).

To analyze the Newcastle vs. Barcelona betting odds, we looked at the Catalans’ figures from last season’s Champions League. The Blaugrana scored at least three goals in ten of their 14 Champions League games and provided maximum entertainment.

Further furious performances from the Spanish champions are firmly planned for this season. At the national level, the first clubs have already made acquaintance with the extra class in Flick’s team. Barca has gone unbeaten through the first four La Liga matchdays and has scored “over 2.5 goals” in three of four matches.

Newcastle vs. Barcelona Prediction AI

According to artificial intelligence evaluations, Barca should very likely be able to score at least two goals on the first matchday of the new Champions League season.

Newcastle – Statistics & current form

Nick Woltemade’s impressive debut for the Magpies came at just the right time. Newcastle had not won any of their first three Premier League matches, even though the 2-3 defeat against Liverpool was an appealing match.

In addition, the Magpies have tended to shine defensively in the first few weeks of the new season. Newcastle ended two of their first three PL matches with goalless draws and, including their 1-0 win against Wolverhampton, have now completed three of four matches without conceding a goal.

However, hardly any team in the world has managed to keep a clean sheet against Barca. That said, the Magpies could well benefit from the special energy in the stands at their own stadium. Eddie Howe’s side scored 40 goals in 19 home games last PL season and averaged 2.00 points per game at St. James’ Park.

A poor host for Spanish visitors

In major European competitions, the hosts have played eleven matches against Spanish opponents. Overall, their record is positive, with six wins and only five defeats. Newcastle have won each of their last three encounters with Spanish teams.

In general, the recent record at the highest European level is not exactly encouraging for the home team’s fans. Newcastle has won only one of its last eight Champions League games. During the 2023-24 group stage, Howe’s team beat PSG 4-1.

For the upcoming clash with the top Spanish team, the 47-year-old coach hopes to be able to field a well-rehearsed back line in the starting lineup, as he has done in previous appearances. So far, three of the four defenders (Fabian Schär, Dan Burn, and Kieran Trippier) have started every game.

Barcelona – Statistics & current form

The Catalans have established an impressive baseline in attack. In fact, Barca is capable of dominating the scoreboard in every competitive match. Just last weekend, Flick’s team defeated their opponents from Valencia 6-0.

In the last Champions League season, Barca matches with lots of goals were a regular feature of the CL rounds. The Blaugrana treated spectators to at least four goals in eleven of their 14 appearances, attracting a lot of attention.

The reigning Spanish champions themselves scored at least three goals in ten of 14 CL games last year. Barca has also achieved this feat in three of four competitive games this season. The Catalans have enjoyed recent encounters with English teams.

FC Barcelona have won twelve of their previous 16 Champions League matches against teams from the British Isles (2D, 2L). In these games, the Blaugrana scored an average of 2.1 goals per game. Hansi Flick’s team can surpass this mark at St. James Park.

Flick stands for goals

Hansi Flick lets his team take high risks and maximizes the offensive yield when plays are successful. As coach of the Catalans, the German coach saw an average of 3.1 goals per Champions League game from his team.

This is not the first time in the 60-year-old’s career that his team has scored more than three goals per Champions League match. During his time as coach of FC Bayern Munich (2019-2021), the German record champions scored 3.2 goals per game in the premier class.

Barca doesn’t care whether games are played at home or away. The approach and scoring rate hardly differ. In the first two away games of this season, the Catalans scored three goals each.

Newcastle – Barcelona Head-to-head record / H2H record

The only two meetings between these two clubs took place in the early 2000s. During the 2002-03 Champions League season, Barcelona won both encounters with the English representative (3-1, 2-0) and scored at least two goals in each game.

Newcastle – Barcelona Tip

Champions League matches involving the Catalans are usually high-scoring affairs. The Catalans scored 32.9 expected goals in 14 matches in the last CL season and had 7.0 shots on goal per game. In return, Barca conceded the third-most expected goals (21.7 xGA) of all participating teams.

Flick’s team has already experienced some mixed results in this early stage of the season. The best example is the away game against Levante, which the Blaugrana only narrowly won (3-2), despite scoring three goals themselves.

Hansi Flick is well aware of the risks of playing with a high defensive line this season and is able to live with them. Last year, Barca conceded around 1.7 goals per Champions League game (17th) and still made it to the semi-finals of Europe’s premier club competition. Based on this, we are again predicting “over 3.5 goals in the game” in our Newcastle vs. Barcelona tip and are selecting odds of 2.15 at Betano.