Newcastle vs Qarabag Prediction - UEFA Champions League (03:00 on February 25th)

Newcastle United will host Qarabag at St James' Park in a UEFA Champions League group stage match. With a resounding victory in the first leg, the English side holds a significant psychological advantage over their Azerbaijani visitors.

Current league position and form

In the current Champions League standings, Newcastle are in 12th place with 14 points. Their form in their last five matches has been quite consistent, with two wins, two draws, and only one loss. In this year's tournament, Newcastle have shown impressive attacking capabilities, scoring 23 goals in nine matches, averaging 2.6 goals per game.

Conversely, Qarabag is going through a difficult period, currently sitting in 22nd place with only 10 points. Their form in the last five matches has been quite poor, with one win, one draw, and three losses. In particular, Qarabag's defense is a major concern, having conceded 32 goals in 15 matches this season.

History of confrontations and attacking power

Recent head-to-head history reveals a clear difference in class between the two teams. In their encounter on February 19, 2026, Newcastle secured a dominant 6-1 victory away at Qarabag. This result not only earned them three points but also boosted the confidence of Newcastle's strikers in breaking through the opponent's defense.

Newcastle possesses a formidable attack, especially when playing at home. Meanwhile, Qarabag tends to concede an average of 2.1 goals per game, an alarming figure when facing the world-class strikers of the North East team.

Team news: Newcastle are facing a defensive crisis.

Despite being considered the stronger team, Newcastle are facing a major headache with a long injury list. Specifically:

• Bruno Guimaraes:Absent due to muscle injury.
• V. Livramento:He is sidelined due to a hamstring injury.
• F. Schar:Absent due to ankle injury.
• E. Krafth and L. Miley:Both of us have knee problems.
• M. Thiaw:Absent due to accumulating enough yellow cards.

On the visitors' side, Qarabag were also missing several key players such as S. Mahammadaliyev and B. Mustafazada due to injury, along with some other players who were not registered to play.

Predicting tactics and making assessments.

With the advantage of playing at home and a superior squad, Newcastle are expected to take the initiative and impose their style of play from the start. Despite missing several key players in defense, their attacking prowess is predicted to compensate for these shortcomings. Qarabag will likely opt for a deep defensive approach to limit goals conceded, but keeping a clean sheet at St James' Park will be extremely difficult.

Predictions from experts suggest that Newcastle have a very high chance of winning. The match promises to be high-scoring, given the home team's attacking prowess and weaknesses in the visiting team's defense.

Team lineup updated at 02:30 on 25/02/2026

Official lineup

Newcastle

Diagram: 4-4-2

CoachEddie Howe

Starting lineup:

• 32. Aaron Ramsdale (G)
• 2. Kieran Trippier (D)
• 4. Sven Botman (D)
• 33. Dan Burn (D)
• 37. Alex Murphy (D)
• 23. Jacob Murphy (M)
• 8. Sandro Tonali (M)
• 7. Joelinton (M)
• 11. Harvey Barnes (M)
• 27. Nick Woltemade (F)
• 18. William Osula (F)

Substitutes:

• 1. Nick Pope
• 26. John Ruddy
• 58. Aidan Harris
• 3. Lewis Hall
• 61. Leo Shahar
• 28. Joe Willock
• 20. Anthony Elanga
• 10. Anthony Gordon
• 9. Yoane Wissa
• 62. Sean Neave

Qarabag

Diagram: 3-4-2-1

CoachQurban Qurbanov

Starting lineup:

• 99. Mateusz Kochalski (G)
• 2. Matheus Silva (D)
• 55. Bədavi Hüseynov (D)
• 81. Kevin Medina (D)
• 18. Dani Bolt (M)
• 35. Pedro Bicalho (M)
• 8. Marko Janković (M)
• 44. Elvin Jafarguliyev (M)
• 9. Joni Montiel (F)
• 10. Abdellah Zoubir (F)
• 17. Camilo Durán (F)

Substitutes:

• 89. Amin Ramazanov
• 97. Fabijan Buntić
• 27. Toral Bayramov
• 30. Abbas Hüseynov
• 15. Leandro Andrade
• 11. Emmanuel Addai
• 20. Kady Borges
• 21. Oleksiy Kashchuk
• 32. Hikmat Cabrayilzada
• 22. Musa Qurbanlı