‘Leaked’ St James’ Park change ahead of Newcastle United Champions League campaign

There is just one month to go until Newcastle United officially kick off their first Champions League campaign in two decades.

Eddie Howe’s side surpassed all expectations last season as they secured a top four finish in the Premier League and ensured the Magpies ten-year absence from European competition was finally brought to an end. Not since the days when Sir Bobby Robson patrolled the touchline at St James Park and Alan Shearer and Craig Bellamy were leading the line has a United side faced the elite in UEFA’s premier club competition.

The Magpies will discover their group stage opponents when the draw is made at UEFA’s headquarters on the final day of the month with the likes of Real Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich all among an eye-catching list of big name clubs that could be heading to Tyneside over the coming months.

Memories of historic nights when United sides of the past saw off Barcelona and Juventus will come rushing back when famous Champions League anthem reverberates around St James Park when the Magpies’ famous old home hosts its first group stage game since Barcelona claimed a 2-0 win on Tyneside in March 2003.

The United hierarchy have implemented a number of changes around St James Park in recent months including the installation of safe standing areas and a new look hospitality suite named ‘Wings’ that will be opened for the first time when Brentford travel to Tyneside next month.

But another change has been revealed by Twitter user @WASNAPPER after they posted images that showed the Magpies are installing new home and away dugouts to bring them up to the criteria required to host Champions League fixtures.

Meanwhile, Newcastle now know they will be in pot four alongside the German club Union Berlin and French side Lens when the Champions League group stage draw takes place later this month.