The 10 current Newcastle players who have already played in the Champions League before

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Newcastle are returning to the Champions League after over 20 years away, and there is plenty of excitement ahead of today’s group stage draw.

Eddie Howe’s side have had a difficult start to the season, winning just won of their opening three games as they faced tough fixtures against Liverpool and Manchester City, and with Newcastle in pot four of the draw, they may face a baptism of fire as they return to Europe.

Although the Magpies have added quality to the squad, there is very limited Champions League experience amongst the current group of players. Just 10 out of the 29 players in the first team have ever appeared in the competition, and very few have significant experience of those big nights under the lights.

We’ve listed the 10 players who will bring some sort of Champions League experience to the table, with their histories ranging from good to disastrous. Will Newcastle’s lack of proven Champions League stars be a problem?

Martin Dubravka

Two of Newcastle’s goalkeepers have appeared in the competition before, and Dubravka has limited early stage experience with Slovakian side MSK Zilina, having played in the qualifying rounds a number of times, and has six group stage appearances from the 2010-11 season under his belt.

Loris Karius

The goalkeeper has nothing but bad memories from the Champions League, having helped Liverpool reach the final in 2018, where he infamously made two huge errors to hand Real Madrid the victory in Kiev.

His form never recovered after his horror show on the big stage, and perhaps he has something to prove if given a chance in the competition this season.

Javier Manquillo

The defender has just five appearances in the competition with both Liverpool and Atletico Madrid, and if everyone stays fit, it seems unlikely that he will add to them.

Kieran Trippier

The right-back is another player who has lost a final, as he started for Tottenham in the 2019 defeat to Liverpool.

He has 30 Champions League appearances overall, having also played in the competition with Atletico Madrid, and the others in the squad will be looking to him to lead the way.

Fabian Schar

The defender has 13 appearances in the main competition with FC Basel, and even more experience in the Europa League. He last appeared in the competition in the 2014-15 season.

Sven Botman

The centre-back has recent experience of the group stages, having made five appearances for Lille in the season prior to joining Newcastle.

He is currently injured, and it remains to be seen whether he will return in time for Newcastle’s first group stage game.

Bruno Guimaraes

Bruno has just four Champions League appearances to his name, but these four appearances saw him help Olympique Lyonnais knock Juventus and Manchester City out in the 2019-20 knockout stages, before losing to Bayern Munich in the semi-finals.

His experience is limited, but he has shone on the big stage before.

Sandro Tonali

Newcastle’s big-money signing has been brought in for a reason, and the Italy international was vice-captain as AC Milan reached the semi-finals last season.

Tonali appeared in the semi-final derbies against rivals Inter Milan at the San Siro, and has 18 Champions League appearances to his name for the Rossoneri.

Joelinton

The Brazilian has five appearances to his name with Hoffenheim, as he played in the group stages in the 2018-19 season prior to his move to Newcastle.

He has since transformed his game, and his tenacity will be crucial in the difficult away fixtures.

Alexander Isak

Isak makes this list by the skin of his teeth, having made just one appearance in the competition with Borussia Dortmund in the 2017-18 season before moving to La Liga.

Having established himself as Newcastle’s main forward, there will now be expectation on him to provide the goals in Europe.