I want my team to be talked about like Asprilla and Gillespie - Howe

Newcastle United head coach Eddie Howe is the first English manager to win six games in a single Champions League season Head coach Eddie Howe has challenged his Newcastle United players to seize the moment and follow in the footsteps of the side who defeated Barcelona in 1997. Newcastle will meet Barca in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie at St James' Park on Tuesday night. The fixture stirs memories of Tino Asprilla's hat-trick and the night Newcastle stunned the La Liga giants in the old group phase. Howe was a player at Bournemouth at the time, but was among the millions tuning in to the 3-2 victory from afar. "You couldn't not watch that game," he said. "It was on terrestrial television. It was one of those legendary games. "You want people in future years to be talking about this team. Tino Asprilla gets the hat-trick, a couple of them from Keith Gillespie's delivery on the right. "I want our players to be talked about in the same way in 20, 30, 40 years." The current sides met in the league phase back in September on a night Newcastle were defeated 2-1 on Tyneside. Howe took positives from that loss, though, and has described this rematch as the "biggest game" in the club's recent history as he looks to guide Newcastle into the quarter-finals of the competition for the first time ever. "It's an opportunity to grab a moment that we may never get again," he added. "You never know what life brings tomorrow, let alone future seasons. "We don't want to waste that opportunity. We don't want to kick ourselves or think, 'What if?'" The cult of Asprilla - and the night Newcastle stunned Barcelona Latest Newcastle news, analysis and fan views Ask about Newcastle - what do you want to know? West Ham beat Brentford on penalties to reach FA Cup quarter-finals Dolphins to release Tagovailoa at record £74m cost Man City host Liverpool, Port Vale face Chelsea - full FA Cup draw Jessie Buckley on The Bride! and Oscar nominated Hamnet The Nations Pod Guide puts Rome in the centre The Mitford sisters refuse to play by the rules The highlights of Piano Room Month 2026 with Vernon Kay Four big calls Borthwick could make to revive England Old Firm chaos: What happened? Who said what? What now? Should lower-ranked teams always play at home in the FA Cup? India triumphant again - do the rest have any hope of catching them? Five talking points from round four of Six Nations Is time-wasting in the Premier League getting worse? 'Everything was groundbreaking' - 50 years since historic Cheltenham race Why is figure skating not in the Paralympics? Watch Celtic beat Rangers on penalties to reach Scottish Cup semis. Video Watch Celtic beat Rangers on penalties to reach Scottish Cup semis Winter Paralympics daily guide: 12 skiing golds decided on Tuesday 'England's style of play is tedious and doesn't allow players to express themselves' Randell makes history with five wickets in five balls Was new-era F1 really racing or more like a computer game? Russell 'imperious' and Bearman 'raced beautifully' - driver ratings 'I saw a drone hit the US consulate' - Patten's escape from Dubai Who is to blame for Spurs' chaotic descent towards relegation? 'Howard Webb, where are you?' - How we can stop VAR ruining football 'There were tears - but I had to peek behind curtain of head injuries in rugby' Iran, the US, and a World Cup that starts in three months Copyright © 2026 BBC. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking.