Why is Barcelona v Newcastle kicking off early? talkSPORT commentary for huge Champions League tie

Barcelona and Newcastle will battle for a spot in the quarter-finals of the Champions League this evening.

It’s evenly poised heading into the second leg of their tie following a 1-1 draw at St. James’ Park.

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Harvey Barnes opened the scoring with four minutes left to play last Tuesday with an unmarked volley in front of the Gallowgate End.

However, Newcastle conceded a penalty during stoppage time when Malick Thiaw brought down Dani Olmo.

Lamine Yamal then buried his spot-kick to ensure five-time winners Barca avoided a shock defeat on Tyneside.

They will host the Magpies at Camp Nou, with Tottenham or Atletico Madrid awaiting in the last eight.

Why is Barcelona v Newcastle kicking off at 5:45pm?

This tie will get underway at 5:45pm UK time on Wednesday evening.

The first leg was played at 8pm, but TV scheduling means that they will be the first of four scheduled matches.

UEFA introduced 5:45pm kick-offs for the Champions League, Europa League and Conference League in 2021.

Last week, it was Galatasaray v Liverpool in the Tuesday slot, and then Bayer Leverkusen v Arsenal on the Wednesday.

The staggered kick-off times allow television viewers to watch more of the action, and fewer overlaps for the match broadcasters.

Alongside increased revenue for clubs and broadcasting companies, global audiences have more timezone-friendly matches.

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Barcelona v Newcastle: How to follow

talkSPORT will bring you live commentary of the Champions League clash at Camp Nou.

Joe Shennan will be alongside former England striker Dean Ashton.

Tune in to talkSPORT through the website via the live stream or find us on DAB digital radio through your smart speaker and on 1089 or 1053 AM.

Download and listen to all our live commentaries via the talkSPORT app.

Visit talkSPORT BET for all the latest odds and bet boosts for every big event.

Subscribe to our talkSPORT YouTube channel for news, views and analysis plus our regular goals show and for more, follow us on talkSPORT Facebook and talkSPORT X.

The match will also be broadcast on TNT Sports 2.

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Barcelona v Newcastle: Team news

Wednesday night’s hosts Barcelona look set to still be without three defenders against Newcastle.

Andreas Christensen has been dealing with a knee issue, whilst Jules Kounde and Alejandro Balde recover from hamstring injuries.

Frenkie De Jong will also be unavailable with a hamstring problem.

Newcastle will still be missing club captain Bruno Guimaraes due to a hamstring issue.

Emil Krafth and Fabian Schar are also out after undergoing surgery on their respective knee and ankle.

Lewis Miley could return to the side after missing the first leg with a thigh problem.

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Barcelona v Newcastle: What has been said?

Newcastle boss Eddie Howe is refusing to get carried away by the romance of the Champions League as he attempts to dump five-time winners Barcelona out of the competition.

Asked if it is the sort of tie he had dreamt about, Howe said: “Yes, it probably will be, but it’s not something I’ve genuinely given any time to because it’s another game.

“The process that you go through before each game is the same, regardless of where you are playing, regardless of the size of the competition.

“We try to do the same things. We try to treat every game as if it’s a Champions League final, without using cliches. We do the work in the same way.

“We will enjoy the game when it comes, but we will only truly enjoy it if we deliver what we know we need to deliver. I think we’re in a good place to do that.

“The players are probably as confident as they’ve been at any stage this season. Our recent performances have been really strong.

“We need everything to go our way tomorrow and we know how good Barcelona really are and we don’t underestimate the size of the task and we believe in ourselves at the same time.”