Newcastle United hope to get their Champions League campaign truly started as they travel to Belgium to face Royale Union SG.
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Newcastle take on Royale Union SG in the second matchweek of the Champions League, looking to bounce back from their defeat to Barcelona.
Two goals from Marcus Rashford saw off the Magpies at St James’ Park, with Anthony Gordon managing to nick a late consolation goal and putting some pressure on Barca in the final stages.
Royale Union SG don’t have that same conundrum after they took the three points with victory in Eindhoven against PSV. Goals from Promise David, Anouar Ait El Hadj and Kevin Mac Allister had the Champions League debutants dancing all the way back to Belgium, a 3-1 win under their belt.
This will be another difficult test for Royale Union SG; however, they will fancy their chances to cause another upset against a Newcastle side searching for consistent form.
Royale Union SG vs Newcastle key information
• Date: Wednesday, October 1
• Kick-off time: 5.45pm BST
• Venue: Lotto Park, Anderlecht
• Referee: Urs Schnyder
• VAR: Fedayi San
• TV channels: TNT Sports (UK)
• Odds: STG (23/10) - DRAW (11/4) - NEW (21/20)
Royale Union SG team news
Forward Raul Florucz is still unavailable for selection for Union after his red card for Olimpija Ljubljana in the Conference League last season. The Austrian was shown a straight red for violent conduct after a VAR review, where the referee ruled that the Austrian had thrown a punch at Curaçaoan defender Jurich Carolina.
The Belgians will also be without Mohammed Fuseini, who has an ankle injury and are waiting on the fitness of Kevin Rodriguez. The Ecuadorian was not in the squad for the weekend’s game against Westerlo, so it is to be seen whether he can feature against Newcastle.
Union SG predicted team vs Newcastle, (4-3-3)
Coach: Sebastien Pocognoli
Scherpen; Khalaili, Mac Allister, Burgess, Leysen; Ait El Hadj, Zorgane, Rasmussen; Rodriguez, David, Niang.
Newcastle team news
The loss to Arsenal on the weekend also saw the loss of Tino Livramento. The young Englishman was stretchered off the field after landing awkwardly following a challenge with William Saliba. Livramento previously had a long spell on the sidelines with an ACL injury, and there are fears this could be as serious.
Two new signings for this season, Jacob Ramsey and Yoane Wissa, are still sidelined, but there is hope that Fabian Schar and Lewis Hall may feature despite missing the Arsenal match. Schar was last seen in the previous Champions League tie but had to be substituted because of a concussion. Hall was suffering “a little bit of fatigue”, according to manager Eddie Howe, which is why he did not play on the weekend. Howe went on to say that he “hopes” Hall will be available for Wednesday.
Newcastle predicted lineup vs Union SG, (4-3-3)
Coach: Eddie Howe
Pope; Trippier, Thiaw, Botman, Burn; Guimaraes, Tonali, Joelinton; Elanga, Woltemade, Gordon.
Where to watch on TV or live stream?
This match between Royale Union SG and Newcastle will be streamed live on TNT Sports. To watch TNT Sports, you need to have a subscription to discovery+, and then you can watch all the action on the website, on the app, on your smart TV or through your console.
Head-to-Head record
Union SG are on a very impressive run. They are unbeaten in their last 10 matches in all competitions (8W, 2D), and have also gone unbeaten in seven home group/league phase games in all UEFA competitions (W4, D3).
Newcastle, on the other hand, are in indifferent form. They have only won two of their first eight games since the start of the season, with those two wins coming in the last five games. One of those wins was against third-tier Bradford City in cup action, and most recently lost in stoppage time to Arsenal.
With this being Union SG’s maiden Champions League tie, it is no surprise that this is the first time the two teams have ever met. Newcastle have played against Belgian opposition in Europe before, winning eight of their last nine against them.
Odds for Royale Union SG vs Newcastle
Newcastle are the favourites to win this game at the bookies. At bet365, Newcastle are at 21/20 compared to Union SG at 23/10. A draw between the two is at 11/4.
Odds correct at time of writing, subject to change.