Newcastle United might not be facing Lamine Yamal on Thursday, but there are still plenty of reasons to fear Barcelona.
Hansi Flick has a major injury problem ahead of his trip to Tyneside, with Lamine Yamal set to miss out due to a groin injury. His absence is proving to be rather controversial in Spain, with Flick furious about the Yamal situation.
But while the teenager is going to be absent, Eddie Howe is preparing to face a player who he was extremely keen to add to his Newcastle United squad in 2022.
Eddie Howe wanted Newcastle United to sign Raphinha
With no Yamal, the main Barcelona attacker that Newcastle will need to stop is Raphinha. He looks poised to start on the right of attack, having scored twice from that position on Sunday during Barca’s 6-0 win over Valencia.
Raphinha is no stranger to Tyneside. He played against the Magpies multiple times during his Leeds United career, while there was also a desire to make him a Newcastle United player.
He was one of the first players that PIF tried to sign after the Newcastle United takeover. It was reported in early 2022 that Newcastle offered £35million for Raphinha, but it was rejected by Leeds.
Rumoured interest in the winger continued into that summer, with the Brazil international described by the Daily Mail in June 2022 as Eddie Howe’s ‘dream signing’.
Sadly, the Newcastle United manager’s dream did not come true. Instead, Raphinha joined Barcelona in the summer of 2022 for £55million.
Since then, he has hit unimaginable heights in red and blue. Howe’s fascination with Raphinha was spot on, and it has become so easy to understand why he wanted to include him in his Newcastle United team.
Fast forward three years and now the Toon boss is working out how to nullify the attacker he dreamed of signing.
Raphinha’s record against Newcastle United
Throughout his career, Raphinha has played against Newcastle United four times. They all came when he was with Leeds United in the Premier League.
His overall record is fairly decent, winning twice, drawing once and losing once.
Interestingly, Raphinha’s best moments against Newcastle United came at St James’ Park. During his two appearances at the Magpies’ home, he scored two goals and provided one assist.
The 28-year-old will attempt to add to his tally on Thursday night, when Newcastle United face Barcelona in the Champions League.
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