Barcelona star to return to starting XI vs Newcastle

Barcelona are set to shuffle their defensive pack for Wednesday night’s Champions League Last-16 second-leg clash with Newcastle United, as Eric García is poised to reclaim a starting berth at right-back, according to Diario Sport.

The 23-year-old has been sidelined for the past two matches, with Ronald Araújo deputising in the first leg at St James’ Park and teenage prospect Xavi Espart earning the nod during Saturday’s routine La Liga victory over Sevilla. Now, with qualification on the line at the Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys, García is expected to be reinstated by head coach Hansi Flick.

Should García return as anticipated, the central-defensive axis will remain unchanged; Pau Cubarsí and Gerard Martín are set to continue in the middle, ensuring continuity at the heart of the back four. The reshuffle on the right is the only anticipated change to a rearguard that has conceded just once across the two most-recent fixtures.

Kick-off is scheduled for 21:00 CET, with Barcelona holding a narrow 1-0 aggregate advantage from the first leg.