Newcastle United receive boost as Nick Woltemade recovers but five players set to miss Barcelona clash | OneFootball

After a wait of several weeks, FC Barcelona are preparing to return to UEFA Champions League action as they get set to face Newcastle United in the first leg of their Round of 16 tie next week at St James’ Park.

The Catalans would miss some important players for this match, including the likes of Frenkie de Jong, Jules Kounde, and Alejandro Balde, who all suffered physical problems in the last few days. Other long-term absences, like Gavi and Andreas Christensen, are also set to miss this match.

Meanwhile, things are not too rosy for Newcastle United either, even though they have recovered an important player.

As Mundo Deportivo has reported, the English side’s coach, Eddie Howe, has confirmed in a press conference that striker Nick Woltemade has recovered from the viral illness that forced him to miss the midweek match against Manchester United.

The German forward has already resumed training and is expected to be available for the upcoming FA Cup tie against Manchester City, which should also put him in contention to face Barcelona.

Despite this boost, Newcastle will still have several absentees for the Champions League meeting with Barcelona. Lewis Miley is still recovering from a knee injury suffered at the end of January and is expected to miss a few more matches.

Tino Livramento is another confirmed absentee. The defender has been struggling with a hamstring problem since the start of the year and is yet to return to full training with the squad.

In addition to these two injuries, Newcastle will also be without key midfielder Bruno Guimarães and defenders Fabian Schär and Emil Krafth for the first leg against Barcelona.

As a result, both sides are likely to head into the Champions League showdown with notable absences, adding an extra tactical challenge for Howe and Barcelona coach Hansi Flick ahead of what promises to be a high-stakes European encounter.