Story byNEWCASTLE UPON TYNE, ENGLAND - FEBRUARY 24: Sandro Tonali of Newcastle United (8) celebrates after scoring Newcastle's opening goal during the UEFA Champions League 2025/26 League Knockout Play-off Second Leg match between Newcastle United FC and Qarabag FK at St James' Park on February 24, 2026 in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. (Photo by Serena Taylor/Newcastle United via )Luis MazariegosFri, February 27, 2026 at 9:00 PM UTC·3 min readNewcastle United will be a formidable challenge for FC Barcelona, even if fans overall felt like the draw that set the Catalans’ path to the UEFA Champions League was relatively kind. The English side finished 12th in the Champions League league phase and had to go through a play-off to reach the knockouts. Qarabag of Azerbaijan barely posed a problem, though, as Newcastle won 6-1 away and 3-2 at St.
