Newcastle United have touched down in Baku and are back in Champions League action, with our third-straight away game in the space of a week seeing us take on Qarabag in Wednesday night’s play-off first leg.
The longest trip (2,500 miles) any English side has ever made in a Champions League knockout game, and a big chance to secure our spot in the last 16, where Barcelona or Chelsea would await.
But we can’t get ahead of ourselves. While we have just won back-to-back games on the round, looking united in recent victories over Spurs and Aston Villa, this is a massive night for a Qarabag side who have picked up some scalps in beating Benfica, Copenhagen, Frankfurt and holding Chelsea to a 2-2 draw in Azerbaijan back in November.
That said, this is also a game to assert our superiority, take confidence from our recent away results and get at a Qarabag defence that conceded 21 goals in their eight league phase games; the second worst record out of the 36 clubs competing.
Speaking to the media in Baku on Tuesday evening, Eddie Howe said:
“It means everything to us. The opportunity for us to get to the last-16 of this competition would be an incredible achievement.
“We’re trying to embrace it in that way and look at the excitement and the possibility than feel the burden of the pressure of the occasion.
We want to turn these moments into history and into moments people talk about for a long time. There’s a real excitement with this game.”
Joelinton is back with the squad and could return after a month on the sidelines, but it looks like Lewis Miley, Sven Botman and Yoane Wissa will miss out once again.
Bruno Guimaraes (hamstring) is in Brazil as he begins his road back from injury, Tino Livramento is on course to return next month, while Fabian Schar and Emil Krafth remain absent, with the latter now likely to miss the remainder of the season after being replaced by John Ruddy in our Champions League squad.
Joelinton, Dan Burn and Malick Thiaw are all a booking away from a one-game ban in the Champions League.
Predicted XI
(3-4-3): Ramsdale – Thiaw, Botman, Burn – Murphy, Tonali, Ramsey, Hall – Elanga, Woltemade, Gordon.
OUT: Ramsdale, Murphy, Woltemade, Osula.
IN: Pope, Willock, Elanga, Gordon.
I’ve got a feeling we’ll return to a similar line up and approach that saw us dominate Spurs in last Tuesday’s win in North London, meaning Ramsey and Willock just ahead of Tonali, Gordon back up top and Elanga on the right.
If Barnes needs a rest, however, moving Gordon to the left and playing Woltemade in a false nine role could be an option for Howe, who did something similar in our dominant away win at Union SG earlier in the competition.
I’m expecting Qarabag to give us a tough game, but I think we’ll be in better shape after those two away wins and determined to build on this upturn in form; especially with a spot in the last 16 at stake.
Gordon and Elanga to be menaces on the counter and Newcastle to return to Tyneside with a one-goal advantage.
Prediction: Qarabag 1-2 Newcastle
Keep the faith. Howay the lads!
Add Comment