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Newcastle’s Champions League fuel can propel season into life ahead of trip to Marseille
Newcastle United have been a bit like a Jekyll and Hyde team across their Premier League and European campaigns this season.
They currently sit in 14th place in the league table, with their erratic form seeing them only getting wins over the league’s bottom-half sides, until a much-needed morale-boosting win last weekend against Manchester City.
That victory, Eddie Howe’s first triumph over City in 18 attempts, is more in line with what the Toon Army have been seeing in the Champions League this season, where Newcastle have won three of their four games so far in the league phase.
After a narrow defeat to Barcelona on matchday one, where the Magpies more than did enough to deserve all three points against the Spanish champions, they have since convincingly beaten Union Saint-Gilloise, Benfica and Athletic Bilbao, scoring eight times without reply.
Those performances and the atmosphere at St James’ Park have almost already made the Champions League the main focus for the club this season, especially in a league phase where there is more opportunity to make a mark across an eight-game programme.Getty Images
Yet, it begs the question, why until Saturday’s win over Manchester City, have Newcastle not been able to replicate their vigour in Europe across their domestic fixtures this season?
“Obviously they're up for it,” Chris Waddle says when asked the same question, speaking exclusively to DAZN News thanks to SheKicks.
“The draw has been quite kind for them. The Champions League is completely different from the Premier League.
“It's shown in their Premier League form that it's very difficult for this team to perform in three games a week. The Champions League does take it out of you with the travelling and the expectations.
“The atmosphere gets you going, but two, three days later, Newcastle feel the consequences. I think the draw's been pretty kind to them. I know they've got a few hard games coming up, but I think the teams they have played, you’d expect them to have got points out of most of them.
“We all know who the main actors, the favourites, are in the Champions League this year, but the new format does throw up some chances for you to put points on the board.”
It might be unfair to suggest they’ve had a kind draw so far, especially given the way they dispatched of a tricky-looking Bilbao last time out, but there’s no denying that there are tougher tests ahead, starting with tonight’s trip to Marseille.
Roberto De Zerbi has assembled a free-flowing, entertaining side, who briefly went top of Ligue 1 at the weekend and still only trail PSG by two points after thirteen games of the season.
Among his stars are former Manchester United (and England) forward Mason Greenwood, who’s found a new lease of life in France following his controversies in Manchester and is Ligue 1’s top scorer, as well as Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and a whole host of familiar names to Premier League watchers.
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Together, they can boast one of Europe’s most deadly attacks, with only Arsenal and Bayern Munich outscoring them across the continent’s elite leagues.
Newcastle will need to be as professional as they’ve been in their past three games against the French and Waddle believes they’ll need that same plan if they want to prosper.
He added: “At times, they’ve looked very energetic, and they’ve played at a great tempo.
“We all know teams don't like getting pressed high. A lot of players don't feel comfortable with it. But it does take its toll on the body.”
After Marseille, the Magpies face games against Bayer Leverkusen and PSV before finishing with a trip to European champions PSG on the other side of Christmas.
Bigger tasks perhaps, but as they showed against Pep Guardiola and in their Champions League displays so far, there’s enough in this team to beat anyone on their day.
Full Champions League fixture list for Matchday 5
Tuesday 25 November
- Ajax vs Benfica
- Galatasaray vs Union Saint-Gilloise
- Bodø / Glimt vs Juventus
- Borussia Dortmund vs Villarreal
- Chelsea vs Barcelona
- Manchester City vs Bayer Leverkusen
- Marseille vs Newcastle United
- Napoli vs Qarabağ
- Slavia Prague vs Athletic Club
Wednesday 26 November
- Copenhagen vs Kairat
- Pafos vs Monaco
- Arsenal vs Bayern Munich
- Atletico Madrid vs Inter Milan
- Eintracht Frankfurt vs Atalanta
- Liverpool vs PSV
- Olympiakos vs Real Madrid
- Paris Saint-Germain vs Tottenham Hotspur
- Sporting CP vs Club Brugge
Visionhaus/Getty Images
How to watch the Champions League in the USA on DAZN
Soccer fans in the US can watch the Champions League in Spanish language as part of their DAZN subscription package.
An annual upfront payment is $224.99 , while paying monthly for 12 months is $19.99 and also provides access to 185 fight nights a year across boxing, MMA, PFL, BKFC, Glory and much more.
CBS has coverage of every Champions League match in English language this season. You can get more details and subscribe to CBS's Champions League coverage here.
Fans can watch extra Champions League games in Spanish on ViX. A selection of those matches are also available on UNIMÁS and TUDN.
How to watch the Champions League in New Zealand on DAZN
Every Champions League game during the 2025-26 season is streamed in high-definition and comes as part of a DAZN subscription.
An annual subscription costs $14.99 per month for 12 months and also provides access to 185 fight nights a year across boxing, MMA, PFL, BKFC, Glory and much more.
How to watch the Champions League in Canada on DAZN
Watch every game of the Champions League this season in Canada with a DAZN subscription.
There are three subscription options, offering differing selections of sports in each. Access to every Champions League match is included in all three package offerings, ranging from $29.99 to $44.99 per month (for 12 months)
