Qarabag vs Newcastle – News and Probable Lineups

In their first Champions League encounter at this level, Qarabag FK and Newcastle United will clash at the Tofiq Bahramov Republican Stadium on Wednesday, marking the initial leg of their knockout phase playoff matchup.

With the Geordies winless in three of their four European away games this season, they will be eager to secure a promising performance and outcome in Baku, aiming to put a halt to the Azerbaijani team’s commendable European journey by achieving a favorable scoreline for the return match next week at St James’ Park.

Match overview

If any supporter of Qarabag had been informed before the commencement of this season’s Champions League that the Horsemen would reach this stage, they would have jumped at the chance.

The Azerbaijani club had never managed to earn a victory in the competition until their comeback against Benfica, winning 3-2 in September. This success was followed by further wins against Copenhagen and Eintracht Frankfurt on matchdays two and seven, respectively.

Despite a significant 6-0 defeat to Liverpool on the last day of the league phase, Gurban Gurbanov’s squad made history by being the first team from Azerbaijan to progress this far, and they now aim to advance even further.

However, the historical evidence is not in favor of the Blue and Whites, who have a poor record against English teams in Europe: they have suffered defeats in seven of their eight encounters, with one draw, before they take on Newcastle in Baku.

Still, fans will recall that singular draw occurring in their most recent match against an English side, when they held Chelsea to a 2-2 stalemate early in November. This match marked the second of four league-phase encounters in Baku where Gurbanov’s players found the net at least twice at home: achieving victories over Copenhagen and Frankfurt with scores of 2-0 and 3-2 respectively, while drawing with Chelsea and losing 4-2 to Ajax.

Understanding Qarabag’s high-scoring tendencies at home, the Toon Army travels to Atlilar aiming to achieve a positive result to end their winless run away in the tournament.

Since their impressive 4-0 win over Union Saint-Gilloise on matchday two, Howe’s team has struggled to find victories, losing 2-1 to Marseille and earning draws against Bayer Leverkusen (2-2) and Paris Saint-Germain (1-1).

The latter result, gained away against the reigning continental champions, can certainly be viewed as a point gained rather than two lost, which adds essential context to their situation.

Looking to carry the momentum from recent victories over Tottenham Hotspur and Aston Villa into Wednesday’s fixture, the Magpies aim to secure three consecutive wins across all competitions for the third time this season, having already achieved similar runs in October 2025 and December–January 2026.

Following comeback victories against Tottenham and Villa, the latter of which stirred controversy due to several officiating decisions at Villa Park, Newcastle is targeting a third straight win on their travels, as they seek to enhance their poor record of just two wins in 15 European away fixtures.

Team News

Shahrudin Mahammadaliyev has been sidelined from any football activity since mid-November due to injury, which is expected to keep him out on Wednesday as well.

Kady Borges, despite receiving a red card just eight minutes after replacing standout player Leandro Andrade at the weekend, should still participate in some capacity against the Magpies.

Camilo Duran and Andrade have each contributed significantly to Qarabag this season, with four and three goals respectively, making up 53.8% of Atlilar’s total of 13 goals in the league phase, highlighting their threat ahead of Newcastle’s visit.

Howe’s squad enters Wednesday with multiple injury concerns: Bruno Guimaraes (muscle), Joelinton (groin), Tino Livramento (hamstring), Fabian Schar (ankle), and Emil Krafth (knee) are all unavailable, while Lewis Miley’s knee injury is still being assessed.

Only Real Madrid’s Kylian Mbappe (13 goals), Bayern Munich’s Harry Kane (eight), and Manchester City’s Erling Haaland (seven) have scored more than Anthony Gordon’s six goals in this season’s Champions League, and the forward, who also has two assists making him joint-second for overall contributions, aims to be crucial for the away side.

Harvey Barnes has also played a pivotal role for the Toon Army this season, netting five goals and providing one assist, emphasizing his importance to the English side on the European stage.

With Gordon and Barnes as the only Newcastle players with more than one goal in Europe, accounting for 64.7% of the Magpies’ 17 goals, Howe’s men will depend on both for critical finishing against Gurbanov’s team.

Qarabag FK probable starting XI:

Kochalski; Silva, Mustafazada, Medina, Cafarquliyev; Bicalho, Jankovic; Andrade, Montiel, Zoubir; Duran

Newcastle United probable starting XI:

Pope; Trippier, Thiaw, Burn, Hall; Ramsey, Tonali; Elanga, Willock, Gordon; Woltemade

Qarabag has managed to score two or more goals at home in Europe and will be optimistic about facing a Newcastle side that has not kept a clean sheet in seven consecutive matches across all competitions.

Nevertheless, the Magpies bring enough attacking flair to rival their hosts’ scoring ability, which could result in an exciting draw in Baku.