Newcastle United will aim to return to winning ways when they welcome SL Benfica to St. James’ Park for a UEFA Champions League clash on Tuesday.

The UEFA Champions League resumes this week with Matchday 3 of the 2025/26 season. The action on Tuesday starts with two early games before ending with seven simultaneous matches, including Newcastle United vs SL Benfica at St. James’ Park.

Newcastle United began the 2025/26 UEFA Champions League with a narrow 2-1 defeat to FC Barcelona. However, they recovered with a 4-0 win over Union Saint-Gilloise to rise to 11th in the standings over high-profile clubs like Barcelona, Liverpool, and Chelsea, among others. However, the Magpies have blown hot and cold in the Premier League, and the latest setback was a 2-1 defeat to Brighton & Hove Albion.

On the other hand, the first two months of the 2025/26 season have been a topsy-turvy ride for SL Benfica. The Eagles have already parted ways with former manager Bruno Lage, and Jose Mourinho has taken over at Estadio da Luz. However, they have not observed the new manager bounce in the Champions League, losing to Chelsea on Matchday 2. However, the Portuguese giants have been impressive in domestic football, enjoying a five-game unbeaten run.

Newcastle United and SL Benfica have previously faced off twice, with the Portuguese outfit yet to lose a game (W1 D1). The Hard Tackle looks closer at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.

Team News & Tactics

Newcastle United

Eddie Howe has no new injury concerns hampering his preparations ahead of his side’s latest fixture. The Newcastle United manager will be bereft of the services of three first-team players in the UEFA Champions League game vs SL Benfica on Tuesday.

Valentino Livramento (knee), Lewis Hall (hamstring), and Yoane Wissa (knee) are long-term absentees, with the trio unavailable until next month. Howe has also been sweating over Joelinton’s fitness. However, the Brazilian international should be fit and available to take on SL Benfica.

Nick Pope is an automatic pick between the sticks, with Newcastle United lining up in a 4-3-3 formation in front of him vs SL Benfica on Tuesday. The backline will feature Kieran Trippier, Fabian Schar, Sven Botman, and Dan Burn.

As for the midfield unit, there is no looking past Bruno Guimaraes, Sandro Tonali, and Joelinton, with Lewis Miley being a backup option on the bench. Finally, Nick Woltemade will lead the line for Newcastle United against Benfica,with Anthony Gordon and Jacob Murphy being the two wide attackers.

Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Pope; Trippier, Schar, Botman, Burn; Bruno Guimaraes, Tonali, Joelinton; Murphy, Woltemade, Gordon

SL Benfica

Like his counterpart in the Newcastle United dugout, Jose Mourinho has no new issues to worry about ahead of the trip to St. James’ Park. The SL Benfica manager will be without three first-team players on Tuesday.

Alexander Bah and Manu Silva remain in the treatment room as they continue their recoveries from cruciate ligament injuries. Meanwhile, Bruma remains sidelined with an Achilles tendon issue.

Anatoliy Trubin is an automatic pick between the sticks, with SL Benfica lining up in a 4-2-3-1 formation in front of him vs Newcastle United on Tuesday. The backline will feature Amar Dedic, Antonio Silva, Nicolas Otamendi, and Samuel Dahl.

As for the midfield unit, Enzo Barrenechea will line up alongside Richard Rios in the double pivot, with Georgiy Sudakov reprising the no. 10 role. Finally, Vangelis Pavlidis will spearhead the Benfica attack against Newcastle United, with Fredrik Aursnes and Dodi Lukebakio being the two wide attackers.

Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Trubin; Dedic, Antonio Silva, Otamendi, Dahl; Barrenechea, Rios; Ausnes, Sudakov, Lukebakio; Pavlidis

Key Stats

• Newcastle United and Benfica have met twice previously in European competition, with those two clashes coming in the quarter-finals of the 2012/13 UEFA Europa League. Benfica progressed 4-2 on aggregate, after a 3-1 home win and a 1-1 draw at St. James’ Park. However, the Portuguese giants have only won one of their last nine away games against English teams in European competition (D3 L5), going winless in four (D1 L3) since a 3-1 win against Tottenham Hotspur in March 2014 in the Europa League.
• After the 4-0 win over Union Saint-Gilloise on Matchday 2, Newcastle United will aim to record consecutive wins in the UEFA Champions League for the first time since February 2003 when they take on SL Benfica (two victories vs Bayer Leverkusen).
• Speaking of Benfica, the Portuguese giants are on a four-game losing streak in the UEFA Champions League; they have only once previously lost five successive matches in the competition: an eight-game run between March 2017 and September 2018.
• Jose Mourinho has only won three of his 12 away games at St. James’ Park against Newcastle United (D4 L5) and just one of the most recent seven (D3 L3). Tuesday’s clash will be his first game there as a manager since a 2-2 draw in April 2021, against Steve Bruce’s Newcastle United while in charge of Tottenham.
• Nick Woltemade scored in his first UEFA Champions League start for Newcastle United, opening the scoring in the 4-0 win at Union Saint-Gilloise on Matchday 2. The German striker could become the first Newcastle United player to find the back of the net in his first two starts for the club in the competition.

Player to Watch

Anthony Gordon

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While Nick Woltemade, Vangelis Pavlidis, and Georgiy Sudakov were viable candidates for this section, we have picked Anthony Gordon as the Player to Watch for Tuesday’s UEFA Champions League clash between Newcastle United and SL Benfica at St. James’ Park.

The English international has scored three goals in two appearances for Newcastle United in the UEFA Champions League this season (one vs Barcelona, two vs Union Saint-Gilloise). Only Alan Shearer in 2002/03 (six in 10 games) netted more in a single edition for the Magpies. Gordon will aim to close the gap on that record and deliver the goods in the final third for Newcastle United on Tuesday.

Prediction

Newcastle United 1-0 SL Benfica

There might not be much to separate the two sides, considering Jose Mourinho’s influence has grown on SL Benfica, making his team solid at the back. That is also one of the characteristics that define Newcastle United under Eddie Howe. Additionally, neither team has been consistent in the final third.

So, Tuesday’s UEFA Champions League clash at St. James’ Park will unlikely trouble the score-keepers much. However, Anthony Gordon will continue his excellent start to the new UEFA Champions League campaign, and his strike will be the difference between the two sides in a low-scoring tie. The Hard Tackle predicts a 1-0 victory for Eddie Howe and his charges.