Newcastle United's manager, Eddie Howe, sees the upcoming Champions League match against Athletic Bilbao as crucial due to their challenging schedule. The Magpies will host the LaLiga team on Wednesday,
marking their third of four home games in the group stage. After this, they will travel to Marseille and Bayer Leverkusen before facing PSV at home next year, concluding with an away game against Paris Saint-Germain.
Newcastle has shown strong performances in recent matches. They achieved their largest win in the Champions League by defeating Union Saint-Gilloise 4-0 and matched their biggest home victory with a 3-0 win over Benfica. Winning three consecutive European games would be a first since March 2007 during the UEFA Cup, now known as the Europa League.
Howe acknowledges the significance of the upcoming fixture but remains cautious about underestimating Athletic Bilbao. "It is a really important game for us because we know what we have ahead in the Champions League," Howe stated. "That's not to say this game is going to be easy either. We are back at home, we love playing here, but Athletic Club will provide stiff opposition. "
@ChampionsLeague pic.twitter.com/sah6TcWZjz Newcastle United (@NUFC) November 4, 2025
Athletic Bilbao is known for its solid defence. "They are a very good defensive team," Howe noted. "In terms of defensive numbers, they are very strong. Off the ball I think they have delivered some really strong performances. " This means Newcastle's attack must perform exceptionally well.
Newcastle's recent Premier League form has been less consistent. They suffered a defeat to West Ham over the weekend, placing them 13th after ten matches. Howe expressed disappointment with their league performance: "I think we are disappointed with our Premier League form and our inability to string consistent performances together. "
The manager believes that balancing multiple competitions has been challenging for his team. "I think that's where the competitions we are in makes it difficult," Howe added. "You can find consistency in one [competition], but in the Premier League we just have not had the back-to-back wins we need to elevate ourselves. "
The upcoming match against Athletic Bilbao holds great importance for Newcastle United as they aim to maintain momentum in Europe while striving for better results domestically.
