Union SG v Newcastle live: Magpies take on Belgian title-holders as Woltemade and Gordon start in Champions League | OneFootball

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Newcastle train ahead of Champions League tie at Union Saint-Gilloise

Newcastle travel to Belgium to face Union Saint-Gilloise in the second matchday of the Champions League league phase tonight.

The Magpies are looking for their first win in Europe this season after falling to a 2-1 loss to Barcelona in their opening match, and Eddie Howe will be targeting a deep run in the competition this season.

Newcastle’s performances have been far more impressive than their league position of 15th suggests, and the Magpies will travel to Brussels as favourites to beat RUSG, who are currently first in the Belgian league and finished as champions last season.

But despite their tags as favourites, Howe will be wary of the threat possessed by the hosts, along with the need to pick up points quickly if his side are to automatically qualify for the knockout stages.

Match stats

Union Saint-Gilloise won their first ever European Cup/Champions League match 3-1 against PSV on MD1. The last Belgian side to win their first two games in the European Cup was RWD Molenbeek in 1975.

Newcastle have won just one of their last nine games in the Champions League (D3 L5), a 4-1 win over PSG in October 2023. The Magpies have won 32 per cent of their games in the competition (8/25), with Blackburn (17 per cent) the only English side with a lower win ratio.

Chris Wilson1 October 2025 17:37