Newcastle United recover key forward ahead of Barcelona clash; five players out | OneFootball

Next week, FC Barcelona will travel to St James’ Park for the second time this season as they take on Newcastle United in the first leg of the UEFA Champions League Round of 16.

The Blaugrana were triumphant on their last visit to Tyneside and will be hoping for a similar outcome next week, so that they can go into the second leg at the Spotify Camp Nou with an advantage.

Nick Woltemade set to be available

Leading up to the game, Newcastle United have received a fitness boost as manager Eddie Howe has confirmed the return of striker Nick Woltemade to the squad ahead of their FA Cup clash against Manchester City this weekend.

Howe confirmed that the German striker has recovered from the viral illness that forced him to miss Wednesday’s Premier League match against Manchester United.

As a result, he should be available both for the weekend fixture and for the upcoming Champions League match against Barcelona at St James’ Park on Tuesday, March 10.

“Woltemade should be fine, he was sick and lost a little weight. He trained individually yesterday and felt good, so that’s positive,” said Howe, as quoted by Mundo Deportivo.

Howe confirms Woltemade is set to return. (Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images)

Woltemade’s availability will come as a boost for Newcastle as he can pose a serious threat to the Barcelona backline with his physical presence and eye for goal.

Five absences

Despite the positive news about Woltemade, the Newcastle coach also confirmed several important absences for the Champions League clash with Barcelona.

Howe revealed that the team will not be able to count on midfielder Lewis Miley or right-back Tino Livramento for the first leg.

Miley suffered a knee injury at the end of January and is expected to remain sidelined for at least a couple more matches.

Livramento, meanwhile, has been dealing with hamstring problems since the beginning of the year and has not yet returned to training with the group. He is therefore not expected to be available for the tie against Barcelona.

In addition to those two players, Newcastle will also be missing three more footballers for the Champions League encounter – Bruno Guimaraes, Fabian Schar, and Emil Krafth.