If you needed a barometer of the mood inside the Barcelona training ground ahead of tonight's Champions League second leg against Newcastle, look no further than Tuesday's session at the Ciutat Esportiva Joan Gamper.
According to Barca Blaugranes, Lamine Yamal produced a training performance that left his teammates open-mouthed — a dribbling sequence during a practice drill that drew immediate comparisons to a young Neymar from those present. The 17-year-old, who was rested from the starting line-up against Sevilla at the weekend in a calculated move by Flick to keep him fresh, looked sharp, motivated and entirely ready for the occasion.
Hansi Flick had confirmed at his pre-match press conference on Tuesday that Yamal trained "fantastically" and is "100% ready" — and everything emerging from the training ground backs that assessment up. Yamal has 12 goal involvements in his last 11 home Champions League appearances, making him statistically the most dangerous player in Europe on this specific stage. Tonight will be his first Champions League appearance at the Spotify Camp Nou.
For Newcastle, who managed to neutralise him for large parts of the first leg through the disciplined work of Lewis Hall, keeping Yamal quiet for 90 minutes at a rocking Camp Nou is an entirely different proposition. Eddie Howe has acknowledged as much, calling the tie "a completely different game" from what his side produced at St James' Park.
The Camp Nou atmosphere for big European nights is one of football's great experiences. Tonight, with Yamal at full power and 90,000 culés behind him, Newcastle face something they have never encountered in their Champions League history.
