This will be the first time these Englishmen travel to Baku

In the Champions League Round of 16 on February 18, 2026, Qarabag will face Newcastle United. This is a historic match for the home team.

The Azerbaijanis have been almost unchallenged at the national level. Yes, they did lose the title to Neftchi once. And currently Sabah are leading, but there is little doubt they will eventually be overtaken. In England, Newcastle finally managed to win at least the League Cup in 2025 and finished fifth in the Premier League. However, with intense competition, there is now a growing risk that they may finish outside the European qualification zone, with the top four in the Premier League looking out of reach.

In the Champions League, Gurbanov’s men traditionally started from the playoffs, and only for the second time in their history did they advance, getting past not only Shelbourne and Shkendija-79, but also Ferencvaros. They started the main round with a bang, beating Benfica (even after being down 0-2!) and Copenhagen. They mostly lost afterwards, only managing a draw with Chelsea at home and beating a crisis-hit Eintracht (coming from 1-2 down in the 80th minute). Still, they reached the playoffs for the first time in history.

Bruno Guimarães and company started with a home defeat, though it was against Barcelona. After that, they lost just once more, in Marseille. With four wins, three of which came in October-November, they have now reached the playoffs.

Qarabag vs Newcastle United: Key Stats and Trends
Qarabag have lost four of their last six matches
The club averages two goals scored per game, conceding 1.86
Newcastle United have won only one of their last four matches
The team averages 2.13 goals scored and 0.88 conceded per game
Qarabag vs Newcastle United: Probable Starting Lineups
Qarabag (probable lineup): Kochalski – Jafarguliev, Medina, Mustafazade, Mateus – Jankovic, Bikallo, Zoubir, Xhoni Montiel, Andrade – Duran

Newcastle United (probable lineup): Pope – Burn, Botman, Thiaw – Hall, Willock, Elanga, Tonali, Ramsey, Miley – Woltemade

Previous Meetings: Qarabag vs Newcastle United
This will be the first time these Englishmen travel to Baku.