Barcelona have a great time on Wednesday, as they secured an impressive 7-2 victory over Newcastle United in the second leg of their Champions League Round of 16 tie, which ensured a 9-3 aggregate win.

Lewandowski: Very proud of myself and the team

Robert Lewandowski was one of the stars of the match, as he netted twice in the second half to seal the deal for Barcelona. As per TNT Sports (via MD), he spoke of his delight at the result, as well as his own performance.

“I am very happy and very proud, both of myself and of the team. We made some mistakes, it may have been too easy for Newcastle to score, but if you score seven goals, you can be very happy.”

Martin: We made two mistakes that cost us two goals

Gerard Martin also spoke to the media post-match, and he rued the two goals that Barcelona conceded in the first half.

“We made two mistakes that cost us two goals in the first half and that makes you insecure, play with less rhythm. In the second half we knew we were at home, that we had to go forward and we improved with the ball and we found the spaces and the chances.”

Bernal: Playing at the Spotify Camp Nou is a dream

Marc Bernal, who scored Barcelona’s second goal of the evening, could not contain his delight at scoring at the Spotify Camp Nou in the Champions League.

“As a child I came to the Camp Nou as a fan and now enjoying it from the inside with the fans is like living a dream. I couldn’t even imagine my goal.

“We knew they were going to push, we already saw it in the first leg. Flick told us at half-time to have the personality to have the ball, that we were playing at home, from there we controlled more and they fell apart a bit.”

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Real Madrid made it past Manchester City earlier this week to book their place in the Champions League quarter-finals, but it was not without sacrifice. Thibaut Courtois, who was excellent at the Etihad Stadium, was forced off at half time with a muscle issue, and the early signs are not promising.

Initially, it had been hoped that Courtois would be able to play in this weekend’s Madrid derby, which could have a big bearing on Real Madrid’s La Liga title battle with Barcelona. However, this is now looking less and less likely, especially now Diario AS have reported that the Belgian goalkeeper has possible suffered a tear in his right adductor.

Courtois will undergo further medical examinations on Thursday, at which point a clearer picture can be formed. Real Madrid had hoped it was only an overload, but it could now be that Alvaro Arbeloa is without his first-choice goalkeeper for a number of weeks.

How long could Courtois be out for?

Given that Courtois suffered the injury in the warm-up prior to the Man City match, meaning that he likely aggravated it while playing, there is a chance that the tear is significant. A minor one would mean he’s out for 3-4 weeks at most, but a major one could mean he’s out for months – either way, he’ll not be able to play again before the international break, thus he is effectively ruled out of this weekend’s Madrid derby.

It must be remembered that Real Madrid will face Bayern Munich in their Champions League quarter-final tie. The first leg takes place in three weeks’ time at the Bernabeu, and if Courtois is lucky, he will be able to return in time for that, although the latest diagnosis means it is very uncertain.

In the next 24 hours, Real Madrid will know more about Courtois’ situation. They will be praying for positive news, but in the meantime, Andriy Lunin will be gearing up to face Atletico Madrid this weekend.

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Tottenham Hotspur 3-2 Atletico Madrid (5-7 on aggregate)

Atletico Madrid are into the Champions League quarter-finals, despite losing to Tottenham Hotspur in the second leg of their Round of 16 tie.

Atleti’s three-goal advantage from last week’s first leg at the Riyadh Air Metropolitano meant that Spurs had to come out swinging in North London, although both teams had chances to score in the opening half hour. Nevertheless, it was the home side that broke the deadlock when Randal Kolo Muani headed home from close range from bring Los Colchoneros’ aggregate lead down to two.

However, Atleti issued a response two minutes into the second half when a counter-attack ended with Ademola Lookman playing in Julian Alvarez, who found the top corner to score his third goal of the tie.

Atleti were only level on the night for five minutes, as Spurs re-took the lead in spectacular fashion. Xavi Simons collecting the 25 yards out before curling an unstoppable effort into the far corner, leaving stand-in goalkeeper Juan Musso with no chance of making the save.

Nevertheless, Atleti did not cave after going behind for the second time, and on 75 minutes, David Hancko headed in Alvarez’s corner to deal the decisive blow. Spurs did manage to seal the victory on the night as Simons scored from the penalty spot in stoppage time following a wild challenge from Jose Maria Gimenez inside the area, but in the grand scheme of things, it mattered little.

Atleti to face Barcelona in quarter-finals

Atleti are fully deserving of their place in the last eight, where they will face Barcelona, who also defeated Premier League opposition in the RO16. The first leg will take place at the Spotify Camp Nou before the Riyadh Air Metropolitano hosts the second leg, which is the opposite of the recent Copa del Rey semi-final tie between the two teams.

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Barcelona may have booked their place in the Champions League quarter-finals with a 7-2 victory over Newcastle United on Wednesday, but it was far from a perfect evening for Hansi Flick. The main issues are injury-related, with Joan Garcia and Eric Garcia both having been forced off at the Spotify Camp Nou.

Eric had to be withdrawn after appearing to suffer a relapse of the hamstring injury that he’s been dragging in recent weeks, with namesake Joan injured his calf in the closing stages of Wednesday’s match.

In regards to the latter, an early injury prognosis has been revealed. Despite stating that the injury was “not serious”, it has been reported by Diario AS that Garcia is poised to miss the next 2-3 weeks of action.

If that is the case, Garcia would miss this weekend’s home match against Rayo Vallecano, while he would be doubtful for the double-header against Atletico Madrid after the international break. Barcelona travel to the Riyadh Air Metropolitano in La Liga action on the 4th of April, before facing Simeone’s side again days later in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final tie.

International break comes at a good time for Barcelona

The fact that the international break comes after this weekend is a relief for the La Liga leaders. They expect Alejandro Balde, Jules Kounde and Frenkie de Jong to be fit in the next couple of weeks, and this should also be the case for Eric, whose hamstring issue does not appear to be a major problem.

Garcia may be the last to return, which would be a big blow consider how impactful he has been since arriving from Espanyol last summer. It’ll be interesting to see whether he’s fine immediately after the break, but it’s certain that Wojciech Szczesny will be between the sticks for this weekend’s match against Rayo.

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Barcelona are into the Champions League quarter-finals, having seen off the challenge of Newcastle United on Wednesday. The Catalans secured a remarkable 7-2 victory at the Spotify Camp Nou, as they took the Round of 16 tie by a scoreline of 8-3.

As per Marca, head coach Hansi Flick was pleased with his side’s performance against Newcastle, particularly in the second half, although he understands that an improvement will be needed in the quarter-final stage.

“It was a crazy game. I think we weren’t sharp in the first half. In the second half, we were better, we had and controlled the ball. Our third goal gave us the chance to get back into the game. What I liked the most is that I told them how to play at half-time and they did it. It was nice to see. We gain trust. The team is young. I love seeing how they improve every day after each game.”

“I told them that in the first half we lost a lot of balls. We have talked about controlling the ball more and playing better in a low block. The first half was hard, difficult. I’m happy with the third goal. I told them that we had to play up front, not lose balls. It was not easy to defend. At half-time, we talked about controlling the game more and playing in a low block. Tomorrow they have the day off.”

Flick: Very happy for two-goal Robert Lewandowski

Flick explained his decision to start Robert Lewandowski over Ferran Torres, which proved to be a masterstroke as the Polish striker netted twice to seal the victory for Barcelona.

“He told me that he had the energy to continue (in the line-up). It was not easy for the forwards,  Ferran and Lewandowski. They are looked at by the goals they score. Today is a good day to keep scoring goals. We have a lot of important players for us, but I think about the team. Lewandowski is experienced and in this type of game he is one of the best strikers. I’m very happy that he scored two goals.”

Flick addresses injury blows

Flick also commented on the injuries sustained by Joan Garcia and Eric Garcia, both of whom were forced off against Newcastle.

“It seems they are not very serious, but we don’t know how they are. We have to wait for tomorrow. The club will make a statement.”

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Barcelona blitzed their way past Newcastle United with seven goals, after a tricky first half at Camp Nou.

Joan Garcia – 6.5

Not really to blame for either of the goals, and the other saves he had to make were relatively comfortable it has to be said. Came off in the final 10 minutes with a calf problem.

Eric Garcia – 5.5

Hard to be too harsh, as he was clearly struggling physically. That said, he was already struggling against Harvey Barnes too, and couldn’t prevent the ball across for Anthony Elanga’s opening goal. Taken off after 22 minutes.

Pau Cubarsi – 7

Both Cubarsi and Gerard Martin were slightly hung out to dry in the first half as Newcastle got in behind the flanks. However it was notable that Anthony Gordon was not one of the problems.

Gerard Martin – 8.5

Challenged runners well in the box, and played a magnificent pass for Raphinha in the build-up to Fermin Lopez’s goal. An unorthodox but ultimately smart assist for Marc Bernal. A solid performance, Martin and Cubarsi is the partnership right now.

Joao Cancelo – 4.5

Had one or two nice moments going forward, but was completely shown up on the Newcastle goals. The first, it’s a tricky run for him to track, but the second was all Cancelo going to sleep.

Pedri – 8

Started to really enjoy himself in the second half as spaces opened up. Not quite as imperious as he was in the first leg, but still Barcelona’s best player on the ball. Perhaps struggled to get to grips with Newcastle’s midfield in the opening period.

Marc Bernal – 7

Showed his goalscoring instinct again the first half, popping up unmarked for Barcelona’s second. Still a little slow against the likes of Sandro Tonali in the opening period, but like his teammates, began to understand how to impose himself in the second.

Lamine Yamal – 9

A funny old game for Lamine Yamal, who played three or four exceptional passes to set up Raphinha, Fermin Lopez and Robert Lewandowski. Also got on the scoresheet, even if he should have put away a sitter earlier on. Played inside in the number 10 spot more often, and two goals came from it.

Fermin Lopez – 8.5

A really strong performance. Didn’t quite exert the pressing that he might have wanted to in the first half, but his runs in behind were ultimately the key to the game for Barcelona in many ways. His finish was excellent, but the penalty, Raphinha’s first and Lewandowski’s headed goal all came from him.

Raphinha – 9

Opened the scoring for Barcelona with an excellent run and finish, and his interchanging with Lamine Yamal caused havoc for Newcastle. His pressing was good, and his assist for Fermin Lopez was perfect. This was vintage Raphinha, featured in five of the goals.

Raphinha: “Newcastle is a very physical team, if they are well they complicate your game. We were calm, we knew we had to control the game. In the first half we lost a lot of balls. The fourth goal came quickly and helped us to have tranquillity.”

— barcacentre (@barcacentre) March 18, 2026

Robert Lewandowski – 7

One of the most confusing ratings of the season. If you take away his header, and his excellent finish, this is probably a very low rating. He was slow in the first half, his touch was off, and he missed two clear chances that Barcelona cannot afford going forward. Yet he did score a brace, and his second was a lovely run too.

Substitutes

Ronald Araujo – 6

Improved as the game went on, but will not want to watch the second Newcastle goal back too often. Finished the game seemingly needing a concussion evaluation. Still looks awkward at right-back.

Xavi Espart – 7

As a defender, you don’t want to stand out much in your first games. Xavi Espart was neat and tidy, made a couple of smart fouls.

Ferran Torres – 6.5

Didn’t have much of an impact for better or for worse. A couple of nice runs, but was unable to capitalise on them.

Dani Olmo – 7

Some really nice passes at times, and a couple of nice runs. Outside of Araujo, the game was in a state of decadence by the time Olmo came on, but acquitted himself well.

Wojciech Szczesny – N/A

Came on for seven minutes, and made one nice turn away from pressure.

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Barcelona 7-2 Newcastle United (8-3 on aggregate)

If the first leg against Newcastle United (1-1) was uncomfortable viewing for Barcelona manager Hansi Flick, the first period of the second leg was no less concerning. The German manager did note that his side had been working on beating Newcastle’s man-to-man press earlier this week, and in the second half, it finally clicked.

Even in the opening five minutes, there were signs that Newcastle United would be making life difficult for Barcelona. Twice Joan Garcia was called into action, and Barcelona spent the first five minutes under pressure in their own half. It was the first time Barcelona really broke away, when Lamine Yamal turned Lewis Hall in his own half, feeding Raphinha on the right. Exchanging touches with Fermin Lopez outside him, it was an easy finish inside the box for Raphinha to open the scoring.

That didn’t sink Newcastle’s morale at all though, and they continued to drive at the defence down the flanks. It was Harvey Barnes, who had already shown Eric Garcia a clean pair of heels once, who got free down the left, and Anthony Elanga ran in unopposed from the other flank to finish Barnes’ pass past Joan Garcia. Less than four minutes past before Raphinha’s clipped set-piece was nodded back across the six-yard box for Marc Bernal to knock in.

Eric García has relapsed from his hamstrings injury! [@carrusel]

— barcacentre (@barcacentre) March 18, 2026

The fourth goal, and there were chances in between these goals, came before the half-hour mark. With Eric being forced to retire injured, Ronald Araujo was sent on to defend Barnes, but fared little better. A series of calamities, Lamine Yamal backheeled the ball back to Newcastle in his own third, and Barnes was slipped in down the left. Elanga ghosted in behind Joao Cancelo again, and tapped in from close range.

In the final 15′ of the first half, it felt as if the sequence of play in Newcastle’s half would define who got the chance to mount a dangerous attack. If Sandro Tonali and Joelinton could work it wide to Barnes, then Newcastle would begin the sprint forward. If Barcelona managed to disrupt Newcastle, they are bearing down on the Newcastle goal. Like so, Robert Lewandowski was released free on the left with a golden chance by Raphinha, but a heroic block from Dan Burn prevented a third. Then Lamine Yamal escaped his marker, before feeding Lewandowski, who shifted it left quickly to the side of the box and Raphinha. The Brazilian’s shot was parried by Aaron Ramsdale, and both Lewandowski and Lamine Yamal missed open goals, the latter lofting the ball over from eight yards out.

Barcelona did get the lead at half-time though. Another Lamine Yamal pass down the right flank this time got Fermin Lopez to the by-line. His ball across the six-yard box nearly found Raphinha, but he was tugged back by Kieran Trippier. This time Lamine Yamal made no mistake from the penalty spot, beating Ramsdale down to the right.

Barcelona find the formula in the second half

Already in the early stages of the second half, it looked as if Barcelona were beginning to find the answers to Newcastle’s intense pressing though. With Raphinha, Lamine Yamal and Lopez all swapping positions, Barcelona began releasing the latter in behind with much more ease. It was a two-pass move from Gerard Martin and Raphinha into Lopez eight minutes into the second half that guillotined the Newcastle defence. Racing clear, Lopez finished into the corner.

This time, Barcelona pressed on the accelerator after scoring. Raphinha swirled a corner to the back post in the 57th minute, and Lewandowski headed back across goal and into the net for just his third goal in 11 games. That appeared to give him more confidence. Five minutes later, Lamine Yamal, again in the number 10 position, turned away from his marker, and provided the perfect pass for Lewandowski peeling away from the middle, and finishing back across Ramsdale into the corner.

At that point, the tension, for the first time in 150 minutes of action, went out of the game. The Newcastle press, so suffocating for so long, ceased to be visible, as Barcelona enjoyed the extra space. With it, their press became that much more hungry, and Jacob Ramsey was the next to assist Raphinha, gifting the ball to him on the edge of the box. Unopposed, he controlled and finished to make it seven. The post mortem will be positive for Barcelona, but Flick will be concerned by the fact Joan Garcia limped off with a calf injury to be replaced by Wojciech Szczesny.

Barcelona were at times sloppy, often exposed and definitely softer than Flick would have liked in the first half. That was replaced by a clinic of sharp movement, intelligent turns and passing into the path of their players in the second. When that happened, Newcastle could not live with Barcelona. Although Flick will be conscious that his side cannot wait until the final quarter of a knockout tie to show that side of themselves, the sight of this hurricane-like Barcelona has been rare enough this season, that he will likely be far more delighted by its reappearance. They will face one of Atletico Madrid or Tottenham Hotspur in the quarter-final in April.

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Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois has responded at length to a number of narratives in the press, following their excellent victory over Manchester City on Wednesday night. The Belgian shot-stopper was keen to dispel the notion that his teammates were indisciplined and held more power than the manager.

Courtois enjoyed another fine night against City, making a crucial save from Nico O’Reilly, but also providing an assist to Fede Valverde for the opening goal.

“They know I have a great long-range shot. Obviously, I’m not Ter Stegen, but I have a good long-range shot; we’ve worked on it, especially against teams that leave a lot of space at the back. And this, with a good ball like the ones in the Champions League, makes those passes come out,” he told Cadena SER after the game.

‘You think this is a nursery, but we’re professionals’

Courtois was also keen to to respond to a number of narratives in the press, claiming that much the speculation around the club in recent months is just that.

“We don’t read what you say (laughs). I’m at home and I analyse what I need to analyse with Llopis [Luis Llopis, goalkeeping coach]. Some things gets through, we’re not on Mars, but we’re not always looking at what you say. You say things you think are true, when they’re not. Obviously, nobody’s going to come out and say otherwise, but I’ve read things that… oh my god (laughs)! It’s your job and I respect that,” he commented later to Diario AS.

The Real Madrid dressing room has been painted as a group of stars that need to be treated as such by their manager, whomever it is, for fear of rebellion. Courtois claimed that he and his colleagues follow the manager’s instructions to the letter.

“You think this is a nursery and that we do whatever we want. That’s not the case. We respect the coaches, the technical staff, everyone. Many criticisms are unfair. Others are valid, and that’s fine. Sometimes we play poorly: against Celta, Getafe… We’re partly to blame, and I accept that. But today was a step forward as a team, and we have to remember that. If we fight for each other, things will work out.”

“I feel that in my first year we were much worse off than now, and there wasn’t this toxic atmosphere. There needs to be more respect for the dressing room. Saying things like we have more power than the manager or that we didn’t want to play in Albacete is unacceptable. We’re professionals and we always do what the manager tells us. That doesn’t exist here; this is Real Madrid.”

‘Nobody set Xabi Alonso up’ – Courtois

After Alvaro Arbeloa’s arrival saw similar results early on, the fingers of blame swivelled towards the players at Real Madrid. Yet there was a consistent string of stories that they did not get on with predecessor Alonso, feeling his approach involved too much video analysis

“I don’t think that’s the case. Nobody set Xabi up. To say we don’t like the tactics, that we don’t like the videos… I had Antonio Conte, and you’d spend an hour there (watching videos). And I didn’t care, because we’re professionals. It’s my job. It’s one thing to play with your friends. There, it’s normal not to want to watch a half-hour video. But if I have to watch a video, I watch it.”

“We prepare for matches. I spoke with the NFL in the summer, and they’re watching videos all the time. Our professionalism has been questioned. The first few months with Xabi went very well. And we had a rough patch, we couldn’t find our rhythm, but we’re not in charge, the manager is, and we have to respect that.”

It’s been a tricky season at the Bernabeu, with two managerial changes in the space of seven months. Trailing Barcelona by four points in La Liga, their victory over City was one of the few times that Los Blancos have put in a cohesive performance in recent months, and with Arbeloa the third manager to try to get the best out of the current squad with mixed results, changing the coach no longer looks like a definitive solution.

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Atletico Madrid forward Antoine Griezmann could be the on the verge of his second exit from the club, according to reports coming out of the Spanish capital. The veteran star was always likely to move to Major League Soccer this summer or next at the latest, but it seems his exit could come sooner than expected.

It was reported at the start of the week that Griezmann has a three-year contract offer from Orlando City on the table, one he is very much interested in. They are keen to make a deal happen before the 27th of March though, when the MLS transfer window shuts. Cadena SER say that the offer from Orlando is not necessarily one he can delay until July, when the transfer window reopens, and that he is ‘much closer to leaving than was first reported’.

Griezmann feels role could be larger this season

Previous reports say that his decision had more or less been made, but has been complicated by the fact that he is playing more often and better than expected this season. Atletico Madrid are also 90 minutes away from the Copa del Rey final next week. Yet Marca say that Griezmann is not entirely satisfied with his minutes. Even if he has been the consummate professional in his handling of it, Griezmann feels he is playing well enough to have a more important role.

Diego Simeone and Atletico are keen for him to finish the season at the club, and they still say that it is more likely that he does so. If Atletico do not make the Copa final, then that could accelerate his decision.

Julián Álvarez’s substitution was already agreed with Diego Simeone at half-time last night.@Belen_Boli pic.twitter.com/2s0IiJsGJ2

— Atletico Universe (@atletiuniverse) February 25, 2026

Griezmann’s plan if departure goes ahead

One demonstration of Cadena SER’s assertions is that Griezmann already has a timeline for his exit planned, if he does give the green light. He would play in Atletico’s away tie with Real Oviedo this weekend, their semi-final second leg with Barcelona next Wednesday, and then bid farewell to the Metrpolitano on the 7th of March. Real Sociedad, his first professional club, visit the Metropolitano that day.

Griezmann was left out of the starting line-up against Club Brugge on Tuesday, but started in the Copa del Rey semi-final first leg, and put in a fine performance against Espanyol last weekend from the start too. Averaging a goal contribution every 111 minutes, he has 12 goals and two assists so far this season.

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Barcelona are now over budget for the renovation work on Camp Nou, according to the latest reports coming out of Catalonia. The work on their stadium has faced numerous problems since work began in 2023, but still looks some way from being finished.

The Blaugrana ended up spending a full year more than they planned for away from Spotify Camp Nou due to delays in the work, and despite supposedly including a clause in the deal that allowed the club to fine construction group Limak €1m for each day the project was delayed, President Joan Laporta has not activated it. Part of the appeal of choosing the Turkish group was the price they put on the deal, but it is set to come in well over budget.

Pablo Gavi progressing with his recovery. [@FCBarcelona] pic.twitter.com/zFRlioAqyz

— barcacentre (@barcacentre) February 18, 2026

Barcelona surpass €960m budget

The latest from RAC1 is that the costs of the project have already moved beyond the €960m quote originally given for the renewal of the stadium, and his now into the billions. The work is still a long way from being complete, with another ring of VIP boxes and the third tier to be installed still, with only three quarters of the first two tiers operable currently. Barcelona are currently trying to obtain a licence to reopen the final section of the first two tiers, increasing the capacity to 60,000, and an inspection is due to take place on Thursday.

Extra cost estimated at €200-300m

The Catalan radio station explain that the final costs of the renovation work is estimated to come in at €1.196b-€1.296, a further €200m-300m on top of the original quotes. That would put the increased cost at around 21%-31% above budget.

This is the latest in a series of problems Barcelona have had during the project, beyond the delays. Several protests have taken place over the working conditions for those employed by Limak and other contractors, while Limak have also been fined on several occasions for the same reason. Laporta’s latest timeline given on the completion of the third tier was for the start of next season in August, but that would require significant time to be made up.

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