Harvey Barnes honest about mood in Newcastle United dressing room before Barcelona trip
Harvey Barnes was cruelly denied another crowning highlight at Newcastle United as Barcelona scored a 95th-minute equaliser.
Harvey Barnes has highlighted the “self-belief” in the Newcastle United squad before facing Barcelona.
A topsy-turvy campaign has resulted in the Magpies struggling to find consistency. Last weekend was another example of that, with Newcastle taking an early lead against Manchester City before crumbling.
The might of Barca - currently leading La Liga - arrived on Tyneside for the second time this season. Newcastle deserved to win the first leg but took until 86 minutes to break the deadlock.
As the clock ticked into the dying embers, the Catalans earned a stoppage-time penalty to sink black-and-white hearts. Barnes was cruelly denied his hero’s moment that would have stayed with Newcastle fans for generations.
‘We had self-belief’ - Harvey Barnes
Speaking to BBC Radio Newcastle, Barnes was not disheartened by the setback and believes the Magpies can cause an upset at the Camp Nou. He said: "I thought we played really well. "We controlled their dangerous players really well, and limited their chances.
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"We looked dangerous when we got the ball and created some good chances ourselves. You really felt like we had real control and the self-belief to win the game. It was disappointing to concede so late on.
"But halfway through the tie we're level and it's all to play for. We can't look at the negatives too much. We took a lot of positives from the first game (in September) against Barcelona. We felt we had some big chances we didn't take.
“It's going to be a different game away from home but why not? We're a team that have got self belief, some quality players and we know that, if we set a gameplan and go and produce it to the top of our game, we can take most teams on."
Eddie Howe’s words after Barcelona draw
"I think it is soft but Malick (Thiaw) makes contact,” Eddie Howe said. "We had our shape, there's no way we should concede that goal. We will look at it but I don't want it to override the 93 minutes before that in which we were quality.
"I thought we had enough to score before we did. The game showed we are capable but we know we probably have to give more going to their stadium. We are capable of doing it but we will need to be at our very best.
"It is my job to try and pick them up. We have unfortunately had to do that a few times this season but our strength of character should never be in doubt. We will be ready by the time the next game comes round. We believe in ourselves and our capability and we have shown that today."