Howe: Livramento not fit enough to start for Newcastle vs Barcelona

Newcastle, England – Newcastle United will take on Barcelona at St James’ Park tomorrow without Valentino Livramento in the starting XI, manager Eddie Howe has confirmed. The 21-year-old right-back, lauded by coaching staff as a “top player,” has spent much of the campaign managing fitness issues and, despite a recent cameo in the FA Cup, has not yet convinced Howe he is ready for 90 minutes of high-stakes European football.

Asked whether Livramento could be thrown in from the first whistle, Howe told Sky Sports: “He probably hasn’t done enough training for me to feel 100 percent confident.” The admission ends any speculation that the England U-21 international might be fast-tracked into the lineup for the crucial encounter.

Howe’s decision leaves Kieran Trippier as the obvious choice at right-back. While Trippier’s experience is invaluable, his reduced pace could be targeted by a Barcelona attack that has scored the second-most goals among Europe’s top-five leagues this season. The visitors arrive in the North East in imperious form, having won 10 of their last 12 Champions League knockout fixtures against English opposition since 2014.

The historical ledger also favours the Catalans. Newcastle’s only victory in five previous European meetings with Barcelona came in September 1997, a 3-2 thriller at the same stadium. Since then, the Magpies have lost four straight to the Blaugrana. Across all competitions, Newcastle have faced Spanish clubs six times in the Champions League, registering two wins and four defeats.

With Livramento sidelined from the opening whistle, Howe must shuffle his defensive pack and hope the rest of his squad can summon a level of intensity capable of upsetting one of Europe’s most prolific outfits.