Barcelona ramp up security to avoid Eintracht-style chaos vs Newcastle United | OneFootball

FC Barcelona are bracing themselves for a huge travelling support from Newcastle United ahead of the decisive Champions League clash, with the club keen to avoid any repeat of the infamous Eintracht Frankfurt episode from previous years.

According to Mundo Deportivo, as many as 10,000 Newcastle fans are expected to travel to Barcelona for the second leg, but only 2,934 of them actually have tickets for the match.

That means more than 7,000 supporters could arrive in the city without access to the stadium, creating a potentially delicate situation around one of the biggest nights of Barcelona’s season.

That is exactly why alarm bells are ringing. The memory of the Europa League clash against Eintracht Frankfurt still lingers strongly around the club, when large numbers of away supporters managed to flood Camp Nou and create an atmosphere that felt anything but favourable for Barcelona.

Determined not to let that happen again, the club has already taken preventive measures. Barca activated their Security and Control Protocol for Away Fans last week, and also asked Newcastle supporters without tickets not to travel. The club additionally stopped ticket sales for this fixture days ago as part of those precautions.

Barcelona will at least take some comfort from the expected home backing. With the stadium capacity recently increased to more than 62,000 spectators, and with the Grada d’Animacio back in place against Sevilla, the Blaugranes are confident that their own fans will still form the clear majority inside the ground.

Even so, the warning signs are obvious. Newcastle’s supporters are expected to arrive in huge numbers, and Barcelona know better than most that European knockout nights can quickly be affected by what happens in the stands as much as on the pitch.