Beckham: Newcastle has a strong roster that may surprise everyone

Hupu September 17th Newcastle United, Barcelona Football Club's first opponent in this Champions League "may surprise everyone." David Beckham, the star who won the Champions League with Manchester United in 1999 and also played for Real Madrid and other giants - expressed his views on the Champions League on CBS TV.

"What is surprising will be, you know? I think people have started to look down on Newcastle," Beckham said on CBS's Champions League preview. "Newcastle is a good team with great players and as a team, as a fan, as a club, and I think they might surprise everyone," analyzed the 50-year-old former star, currently co-owner and chairman of International Miami and co-ownership with his former Manchester United teammate Gary Neville, Salford City Club in England's fourth-tier league.

The former England international agreed with Carragher on the show that they were optimistic about Newcastle's prospects in this top European event. The former England captain chose Newcastle United as the national club he expected to surprise in the Champions League, which is the return of the Magpies after two seasons. When he last played in the Champions League two years ago, Newcastle was in the same group with Paris Saint-Germain, AC Milan and Dortmund, and the Magpies ended up at the bottom of the group.