Eddie Howe and Newcastle United turn their attention to the Champions League on Wednesday night, as we take on Qarabag FK in Azerbaijan in the first leg of our play-off for a last 16 place.
It’s the longest away day for an English team in Champions League history at the knockout stage, but hope will be high that we can deliver another impressive performance away from home in Europe, following our win against Union Saint-Gilloise and hard-fought draw against PSG.
But with one eye also a tough run of fixtures in the league, Howe will want to see a disciplined performance and avoid any more injuries occurring.
And three key players will be forced to miss the second leg through suspension if they pick up just a single card in tonight’s clash, but could that be a blessing in disguise…
Should they get booked at Qarabag tonight, Joelinton, Dan Burn and Malick Thiaw will miss our return leg at St James’ Park next week, having each accrued two yellow cards so far in this season’s competition.
It’s an unwanted bit of jeopardy for Howe in terms of team selection, as our defence and midfield are already paper thin in terms of numbers.
Joelinton is back in the squad, returning to the fold after overcoming a groin issue that has kept him out for a month. Compatriot Bruno Guimaraes, who was ruled out for up to ten weeks due to a hamstring tear, has travelled to Brazil to recover.
Also expected to miss the second leg will be both Fabian Schar and Tino Livramento through their own long-term injuries. Meanwhile Emil Krafth has withdrawn from our UCL squad entirely through injury, with the Swede set for season-ending knee surgery.
The first yellow card-induced suspension in the UCL comes after a player has received three yellow cards – but hasn’t received a red card from any of those offences.
The same situation applies for if any player picks up five or seven yellow cards: they automatically miss the next game in the competition.
However, these yellow cards are effectively wiped after the quarter-finals, allowing players to contest the semi-finals without fear of getting suspended for the final through receiving too many yellows.
So in the situation where we are comfortably winning in Azerbaijan, and can afford to play without Burn, Joelinton or Thiaw in the home leg, it may even be in our interests to see one of them go into the book, ensuring they’d be available for the last 16 and or quarters finals?
It’s a move straight out of the Jose Mourinho playbook, and it’s about time we started re-using some ‘dark arts’ in such high-stakes games.
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