Newcastle United now face Qarabag FK in the Champions League.
A two-legged play-off to decide which of the two clubs will reach the last 16 of the competition.
With their 14 points from four wins, two draws and two defeats, Newcastle United finished twelfth in the Swiss league stage and ensured the home leg would finish second.
Finishing between ninth and sixteenth also meant that we played against a club that finished between seventeenth and fourth place.
In the end it was PSG or Newcastle United against Monaco or Qarabag FK, because of the way UEFA clubs played.
So PSG take on Monaco, while United face a trip to Azerbaijan to start the play-off.
My knowledge of Qarabag FK and Azerbaijani football in general is ‘a bit’ limited.
However, I have now discovered that Gurban Gurbanov is on his way to a full 20 years as Qarabag boss! He became manager in 2008 and has been in charge for almost two full decades.
Qarabag has won the national league in Azerbaijan in 11 of the past 12 seasons (second in the ‘disastrous 2020/21 season!).
However, they are currently four points behind leaders Sabah.
Although they are making history in the Champions League, their 10 points from three wins and a draw saw Qarabag FK finish in 22nd place in the Swiss league stage and advance to the play-offs.
Perhaps the best way to compare Newcastle United’s opponents is to view their full schedule of matches against English clubs in European competitions.
Tottenham 3 Qarabag FK 1 (Europa League) September 17, 2015
Qarabag FK 0 Tottenham 1 (Europa League) November 26, 2015
Chelsea 6 Qarabag FK 0 (Champions League) September 12, 2017
Qarabag FK 0 Chelsea 4 (Champions League) November 22, 2017
Qarabag FK 0 Arsenal 3 (Europa League) October 4, 2018
Arsenal 1 Qarabag FK 0 (Europa League) December 13, 2018
Tottenham 3 Qarabag FK 0 (Europa League) September 26, 2024
Qarabag FK 2 Chelsea 2 (Champions League) November 5, 2025
Liverpool 6 Qarabag FK 0 (Champions League) January 29, 2026
So there are eight defeats for English clubs and one draw.
I suspect that taking into account Qarabag FK’s last three matches would be the most relevant, all from the last eighteen months. While for the others you go back eight years and more.
Liverpool are able to do that against weaker teams and were 3-0 ahead at Anfield within 21 minutes.
The fact that Spurs won 3-0 at home against Qarabag FK is probably a fairer indication and then the 2-2 at home against Chelsea shows what they are capable of, especially at home. This season they also won at home against Eintracht Frankfurt and FC Copenhagen, while they also won away at Benfica. The other CL home game was a 4-2 defeat against Ajax.
Qarabag FK scored twice in three of their home games and netted three in the win over Eintracht Frankfurt, so it’s clear they’re not a team to sit around…
Only bottom Kairat Almaty conceded more goals than the 21 Qarabag FK leaked in their eight games in the Swiss league phase. Don’t bet any money if you end goalless on Wednesday evening!!
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