Elanga To Start, Murphy On The Bench | 4-3-3 Newcastle United Predicted Lineup Vs Barcelona | OneFootball

Newcastle United will welcome Barcelona at St. James’ Park this Thursday night as they hope to grind out a good result at home in the UEFA Champions League. The Magpies managed to secure a narrow 1-0 win over Wolverhampton Wanderers recently, which should keep them in good spirits ahead of this game.

Eddie Howe will set his men up in a 4-3-3 formation once again and could be inclined to make one change to his first XI for this game. Anthony Elanga will probably get the nod to play from the start of this game, while Jacob Murphy makes way for him and drops to the bench.

4-3-3 Newcastle United Predicted Lineup To Face Barcelona

Defence

Nick Pope will feature in between the sticks for the Magpies after keeping a clean sheet in his last outing. Fabian Schar will function alongside Dan Burn at the centre of the Newcastle backline as they hope to keep a good shape on the defensive end of the field.

Kieran Trippier will be a nailed-on starter at right-back, while Tino Livramento hopes to impress on the other side as the left-back. Both of them will have to perform their defensive duties well before trying to offer some support to their teammates up top.

Sven Botman and Malick Thiaw will provide cover for the centre-back positions on the bench.

LEEDS, ENGLAND – AUGUST 30: Eddie Howe, Manager of Newcastle United during the Premier League match between Leeds United and Newcastle United at Elland Road on August 30, 2025 in Leeds, England. (Photo by Marc Atkins/Getty Images)

Midfield

Howe could stick with his preferred midfield three of Joelinton, Sandro Tonali and Bruno Guimaraes for this clash. Their main focus would be to make life tough for the opposition at the centre of the park.

Joe Willock and Lewis Miley will have to settle for a spot on the bench as they wait for their chance to make an impact in the second half if required.

Attack

Harvey Barnes will try to catch the eye as the left-sided wide player, while Anthony Elanga looks to put his pace to good use on the right flank. Nick Woltemade will lead the line for the Tyneside club in the final third. He managed to score on his Premier League debut versus Wolves, which should give him a ton of confidence ahead of this game.

As mentioned earlier, Jacob Murphy will be named on the bench and might come on in the latter stages of the game if needed.