JAKARTA - The duel between the two debutant teams in the Champions League knockout phase will be presented at the Tofiq Bahramov Republican Stadium, Wednesday night, February 18 or Thursday morning WIB when the representative of Azerbaijan, Qarabag FK, hosts the English giant, Newcastle United, in the first leg of the playoff.
Both teams have made history by advancing so far. Qarabag became the first Azerbaijani club to reach the Champions League knockout stage, while Newcastle are trying to consolidate their resurgence in Europe's elite competition.
Before the season started, not many expected Qarabag to survive until this stage. The club nicknamed The Horsemen had never won in the Champions League before, before recording a sensational comeback 3-2 over Benfica last September.
The victory was a turning point. Gurban Gurbanov's team then defeated Copenhagen and Eintracht Frankfurt on the second and seventh matchday. Even though they were humiliated 6-0 by Liverpool in the last match of the league phase, the previous results were enough to take them through and create a national history.
However, Qarabag's record against English clubs in Europe is not encouraging. Of the eight previous meetings, they lost seven times and only once drew. The only draw came when they held Chelsea 2-2 in Baku in November 2026.
Playing at home this season, Qarabag showed high productivity. They scored at least two goals in four home league phase matches: a 2-0 win over Copenhagen, 3-2 over Frankfurt, a 2-2 draw against Chelsea, and a 4-2 loss to Ajax. The record shows that the home team is not just a complementary participant.
On the other hand, Newcastle came with the ambition of bringing positive results to St James' Park for the second leg. Eddie Howe's team has not been consistent in European away games this season. After crushing Union SG 4-0 on matchday two, they failed to win in the next three away games - losing 2-1 at Marseille, drawing 2-2 at Bayer Leverkusen and 1-1 against Paris Saint-Germain.
The draw at the home of the European champions remains an important moral capital. In addition, Newcastle has just won a streak against Tottenham Hotspur and Aston Villa in the domestic competition. They are now hunting for a third consecutive victory in all competitions for the third time this season.
However, Newcastle's overall away record in Europe is still worrying: only two wins from the last 15 games away from home. Consistency is the main challenge to overcome if you want to go further.
Qarabag are confirmed without goalkeeper Shahrudin Mahammadaliyev who has not played since mid-November due to injury. Kady Borges, who was sent off last weekend, is still expected to be available for this match.
Camilo Duran and Leandro Andrade are the mainstays of Qarabag's front line. The two have scored a total of seven goals this season in the Champions League - more than half of the team's total of 13 goals in the league phase.
Newcastle faces a fairly long injury list. Bruno Guimaraes, Joelinton, Tino Livramento, Fabian Schar, and Emil Krafth are confirmed to be absent. Sven Botman, Lewis Miley, and Yoane Wissa will still undergo fitness tests ahead of the match.
Anthony Gordon is Newcastle's main weapon in this competition. With six goals, only Kylian Mbappe, Harry Kane, and Erling Haaland have scored more than him this season. Two additional assists make him the most consistent goal contributor for The Magpies. Harvey Barnes also performed effectively with five goals and one assist.
Interestingly, Gordon and Barnes account for almost 65 percent of Newcastle's total 17 goals in this season's Champions League - a clear indication that the visitors rely heavily on the sharpness of the two.
Qarabag's productivity at home is difficult to ignore, especially that Newcastle has not recorded a clean sheet in the last seven matches in all competitions. However, the quality of the guest team's attack line is also enough to respond to any pressure from the hosts. A draw with a high score is the most realistic scenario in the first match that could take place openly in Baku.
Predicted Starting XIQarabag (4-2-3-1): Kochalski; Silva, Mustafazada, Medina, Cafarquliyev; Bicalho, Jankovic; Andrade, Montiel, Zoubir; Duran.
Newcastle United (4-2-3-1): Pope; Trippier, Thiaw, Burn, Hall; Ramsey, Tonali; Elanga, Willock, Gordon; Woltemade.
Score PredictionQarabag FK 2-2 Newcastle United.
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