Sports
Confirmed line-ups as Magpies face familiar faces in France
Newcastle head to Marseille in the Champions League this evening. Get the team news here…
Newcastle can take a giant step towards securing a top-eight finish in the Champions League with a win at Marseille tonight.
Eddie Howe’s side have reserved their best form this season for Europe and head into the midweek fixtures sitting in sixth place in the league table.
A trip to the Stade Velodrome is not one for the feint-hearted and Howe accepts it is a stiff test for his players.
“I’ve said many times this season, trusting the squad is very important, we have some very good players who are desperate to play,” Howe told his pre-match press conference. “We have the depth to play all these games, every game is different, the challenge is different, certain games suit certain players. We want to win the game.”
“The most important decision is how we play. The midfield battle will be key for us; we need to do well technically with the ball. This will be a really tough game for us, but we feel we can rise to the challenge.
“We are in the thick of the Champions League, we have to try and win each game. It’s a nice stadium, I am sure the atmosphere will be red hot, we need to make sure we use that to make our performance stronger.”
Marseille have fared differently to Newcastle and have been stronger in their domestic league. Roberto De Zerbi’s men are second in Ligue 1 following Friday night’s 5-1 win at Nice but have lost three of four in the Champions League.
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MARSEILLE TEAM NEWS
Nayef Aguerd misses out for Marseille with a groin problem.
Facundo Medina is out with an unspecified injury, and Amine Gouiri (shoulder) is still unavailable.
But former Premier League stars Pierre Emile Hojbjerg, Mason Greenwood and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang all start.
Marseille: Rulli, Weah, Balderi, Pavard, Emerson, Vermeeren, Hojbjerg, Bakola, Greenwood, Paixao, Aubameyang
NEWCASTLE TEAM NEWS
Kieran Trippier has not made the trip to Marseille because of the knock that kept him out of Newcastle’s win over Manchester City.
Yoane Wissa (knee) is still not ready to make his debut, and Will Osula (ankle) remains unavailable.
Anthony Gordon looks set to lead the line for Newcastle, with Nick Woltemade out of the starting XI.
Newcastle: Pope, Schar, Thiaw, Burn, Livramento, Tonali, Murphy, Guimaraes, Willock, Gordon, Barnes
How to watch Marseille v Newcastle: TV and online stream
Marseille v Newcastle kicks off at 8pm UK time tonight. It will be broadcast on TNT Sports 2.
It can be streamed via Discovery Plus and, for Sky customers with a TNT package, on Sky Go.
Stats for Marseille v Newcastle
- Marseille and Newcastle’s only previous meetings in Europe came in the 2003-04 campaign, with the French side going unbeaten home (2-0) and away (0-0) versus the Magpies in the UEFA Cup semi-finals.
- This will be the ninth time that Newcastle have faced a French side away from home in European competition, their only victory from the previous eight (D3 L4) coming at Sochaux in the UEFA Cup in November 2004 (4-0).
- Marseille are winless in their last 12 games against English sides in Europe (D3 L9), with their last such victory coming against Chelsea in December 2010 (1-0 in the UEFA Champions League). The French side have scored only five goals across those 12 matches.
- Howe has faced Marseille boss De Zerbi on three previous occasions across all competitions, with both managers recording one victory each (D1). Eleven goals were scored across the three meetings (6 for Newcastle, 5 for Brighton), at an average of 3.7 per game.
- Newcastle will be looking to win four consecutive matches for the first time in the Champions League (currently on a three-game winning streak), while they are already on their longest run of consecutive clean sheets in the competition (3).
- Marseille have dropped six points from winning positions in the Champions League this season, more than any other side. They’re the only side to have lost multiple matches in which they scored the opening goal in the current tournament (2 – both 2-1 defeats against Real Madrid and Sporting CP).
- Newcastle have scored 10 goals in four Champions League matches this season, already four more than in their previous appearance in the competition under Eddie Howe (6 in 6 games in 2023-24). The Magpies are one of only five sides with a shot conversion rate of 20% or higher this season (20% – 10 goals from 50 shots).
- Anthony Gordon has been directly involved in five goals in four Champions League games this season (4 goals, 1 assist), with only Victor Osimhen (6) having more combined in the current edition. The only Newcastle player with more goal involvements in a single Champions League campaign is Alan Shearer, who had seven in the 2002-03 season (6 goals, 1 assist).
