Newcastle CL Clash With Qarabag Could Write History, Howe Says

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Eddie Howe is challenging Newcastle United to write a new Champions League chapter by winning a first-ever knockout tie, as the team prepare for Wednesday’s play-off first leg against Qarabag in Azerbaijan, a contest Howe views as a decisive step toward the round of 16.

"It means everything to us," Howe told reporters on Tuesday. "You look at the history of the club – this is a slightly new opportunity for us to get to the last 16. We want to turn these moments into history and into moments people talk about for a long time. It would be an incredible achievement, and we’re trying to embrace it in that way and look at the excitement and the possibility, rather than feel too much of the burden and the pressure of the occasion."

Newcastle United have never previously reached the Champions League round of 16, with their best effort coming in 2002-03, when a second group stage still existed and they ended third behind Barcelona and Inter, so this play-off offers a chance to go further than any earlier campaign.

This tie is also unique in the current competition, as it is the only one of the eight knockout-round play-off pairings in which neither club has played a Champions League knockout match before, adding an extra layer of significance for both Newcastle United and Qarabag.

Analytical projections underline Newcastle United’s position: the Opta supercomputer gives Howe’s side a 64.3% chance of winning the away leg, compared with only 15.7% for Qarabag, while Newcastle United are rated at 90% likelihood to progress to the round of 16 over the two matches.

The journey itself is notable, with Newcastle United travelling 2,529 miles to Baku for Wednesday’s first leg, the longest distance an English club have undertaken for a Champions League fixture, yet expectations remain high that the visitors will manage the demanding trip and performance levels together.

Newcastle United Champions League schedule challenge and team selection

Newcastle United face a demanding run, with a Premier League trip to Manchester City positioned between the two European legs, yet Howe insists rotation will be minimal. "We will play our strongest team in the sense that we will try to win the game. There’ll be no thinking of the schedule ahead. This game, in isolation, is hugely important."

Qarabag enter the contest from 22nd place in the Champions League league phase, just securing a play-off spot, and this season already have two games against Premier League sides, drawing 2-2 with Chelsea before losing 6-0 to Liverpool, results Howe has examined closely.

"You can look at the scoreline and make one assumption and then look at the game and get another, different, impression," Howe said of Qarabag. "The Chelsea game, I thought, was a really hard-fought game between two good teams, but it was a really good one for us to watch to see the level of team we’re going up against.We are certainly getting across to the players in the next two days that there’s no complacency."

With the long-distance travel, packed domestic schedule and Qarabag’s previous meetings with English opposition all in focus, Newcastle United approach the Champions League tie aware of the opportunity and risk, as Howe’s message blends ambition with caution while the club attempt to reach the last 16 for the first time.