Why Newcastle United vs Barcelona is on a Thursday as Champions League schedule explained

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Newcastle United host Barcelona in a blockbuster clash to start their Champions League campaign on Thursday night.

For the second time as Newcastle United manager, Eddie Howe will lead his side into European football’s elite club competition.

It is quite the return for the Champions League at St James’ Park, with Thursday’s clash only the fifth time that the Magpies have played the Catalan giants.

Newcastle United vs Barcelona is an absolutely huge game and the atmosphere inside the ground will certainly be something to behold. 

Still, supporters will have noticed that the game takes place on a Thursday night. Generally, Champions League football is played on a Tuesday or Wednesday evening and the final takes place on a Saturday night.

However, Barca’s visit to Tyneside falls on a Thursday and here’s why. 

• READ MORE: Barcelona star Robert Lewandowski makes Newcastle United admission ahead of Champions League clash

Why Newcastle United vs Barcelona are playing on a Thursday  

Following the revamping of the tournament last season, UEFA have devoted an exclusive week to the Champions League.

Instead of playing all the games on a Tuesday and Wednesday, they have extended the first week of the 2025/26 Champions League tournament to a Thursday.

In turn, they have pushed the Europa League and the Conference League back until next week, with no Champions League action taking place.

Newcastle United’s record in the Champions League

While Newcastle certainly proved themselves capable of competing on the Champions League stage during the 2023/24 season, they only actually won one of their six group games.

In total, they’ve played 28 games in the competition, excluding qualifiers.

Newcastle have won 11 of those, drawing four times and losing the other 13.

The Champions League’s new format, however, is guaranteed to give Newcastle eight games in the League Phase as Howe looks to improve upon his team’s last performance in the competition.