At 03:00 on September 19, in the first round of the Champions League this season, Newcastle United will play against Barcelona at home, and Newcastle coach Eddie Howe was interviewed before the game.

About this game

This is a historic showdown. When we learned about the results of the Champions League draw and Newcastle will play against Barcelona at home in the first round, we had a wonderful feeling. It will be a memorable game. I'm focusing on tactical preparation to make sure we can do a great job. I am looking forward to feeling the atmosphere of this game, and I know that it will definitely be extremely shocking.

Reminiscences of Newcastle's last time in the Champions League

From that experience (in 2023), we can undoubtedly learn something. It was undoubtedly a big regret that we failed to qualify from the group stage, so I think we can learn from these experiences to help the team improve.

Inside Newcastle, is the atmosphere of participating in the Champions League this time different from the last time?

Everything aspects of the Champions League - are different from the Premier League. The pre-match preparations are different and the overall atmosphere is also different, so I think having experience in the Champions League will undoubtedly help us. The strength of this team is more powerful now - of course, it may be a matter of opinion - but compared with two years ago, our team's lineup has changed, and I have confidence in our current strength. For us, the schedule for the Champions League this season is quite challenging, and the opening game is particularly critical because they set the tone for the whole season.

Regarding the team's forward Anthony Gordon

Anthony has performed well recently, and we will try to give full play to his role. As for whether the game against Barcelona will allow him to start, let's wait and see.

About our team's new aid, Ellanda, is in good shape this summer, and I am very satisfied with his performance - both his rapid integration into the team and his attitude towards the execution we demanded in training are excellent. Ellanga has the abilities our team needs, similar to Anthony Gordon, he also has the advantage of speed and direct offensive attributes. Now he is in the adaptation phase, and this adaptation process takes some time, but he is already steadily moving on the right track and I am very happy with his progress.

About Barcelona player Yamal will miss this game

For me, it is indeed a pity that Yamal cannot play, and I am a little disappointed about it. But no matter who Barcelona sends to play, their wings have a strong speed advantage - these players from Barcelona are international players from various countries and will create threats to us in many different ways.

The new competition system for the Champions League is a good thing for us. As a team, we are still learning and growing and are constantly adapting to this event, so the more opportunities we have to participate in the Champions League, the stronger we can become. As for whether the difficulty of advancing under the new competition system will be reduced, I am not sure yet. This ultimately depends on our own strength and how we can perform. Everything is still unknown at the moment.