Newcastle United are back under the European spotlight on Wednesday night as they take on Bayer Leverkusen in Germany, with manager Eddie Howe naming a patched-up squad due to a growing injury list and UEFA registration limitations.
The Magpies travel to the BayArena sitting 11th in the Champions League standings after a narrow 2–1 defeat in Marseille last time out. With just three games remaining in the group phase, Newcastle know that a win in Germany would all but guarantee their place in the top 24 — and with it, progression to the knockout play-off stage.
Howe, however, has his sights set even higher. A top-eight finish would mean automatic qualification to the last 16 and avoid the additional two-legged play-off that would further stretch his already thin squad. “Yeah, finishing top eight would be the thing that we’re looking to do,” the Newcastle boss admitted. “The preference would be to go through without a playoff game, but there are no guarantees. We want to learn the lessons and try to get through.”
Unfortunately, Howe’s preparations have been disrupted by a lengthy absentee list. Nick Pope, Kieran Trippier, Emil Krafth, Sven Botman, and William Osula are all sidelined through injury, leaving Newcastle short of defensive depth and experience. Complicating matters further, Jamaal Lascelles, John Ruddy, Mark Gillespie, and Harrison Ashby were all left out of the Champions League squad at the start of the season due to UEFA’s List A restrictions — which limit clubs without homegrown senior players to 21 registered members.
That situation has forced Newcastle to lean heavily on their academy graduates. Lewis Hall, Lewis Miley, Alex Murphy, and Max Thompson are all registered under UEFA’s ‘List B’ for under-21 players and are eligible to feature.
With first-choice goalkeeper Pope unavailable, Howe has turned once again to youth, drafting in 19-year-old Adam Harrison to the matchday squad alongside Ramsdale and Thompson. Harrison, who previously featured on the bench against AC Milan two years ago, is likely to gain invaluable experience from the trip to Leverkusen.
Despite the challenges, optimism remains high in the camp. Howe’s men have shown resilience throughout the campaign, and with key figures like Bruno Guimarães, Joelinton, and Anthony Gordon available, Newcastle will hope to take a significant step toward the last 16 in Germany on Wednesday night.
