The unlikely emergence coming out of Azerbaijan. Qarabag FK will be looking to further create history the deeper they progress through this years UEFA Champions League. Newcastle United await UEFA Champions League history-makers Qarabag FK from Azerbaijan. Eddie Howe’s Newcastle United are up next for Qarabag in the UEFA Champions League as both sides progressed to the knockout phase playoffs. A face-off with Chelsea or Barcelona in the round of 16 is up for grabs for both sides. A potential chance for Qarabag to stun Chelsea again in this competition having surprised the world with a 2-2 draw against the Blues on matchday four.

Just the mere 5,000 mile round-trip for Eddie Howe and Newcastle United for the first leg away in Baku, in what will be the first Champions League knockout match in the history of both sides. The first leg is set to take place on either the 17th or the 18th of February with the reverse fixture to be played a week later on the 24th or 25th at St James’ Park.

Reigning Azerbaijani Premier League champions Qarabag became the first side in their country’s history to progress to the Champions League knockout phase, less than a decade after their competition debut back in 2017 where they were dealt a group of death, featuring Chelsea, Atletico Madrid and Roma. Despite a 6-0 defeat at reigning English Premier League winners Liverpool, Qarabag secured a 22nd place finish in the league phase standings, picking up ten points across the eight gameweeks.

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Qarabag FK

Perhaps the most impressive result of their Champions League campaign so far was a 2-2 draw against two-time winners of the competition Chelsea, to go alongside their three victories against Benfica, Copenhagen and Frankfurt respectively. The Azerbaijani club were defeated four times during the league phase, Athletic Club, Napoli, Ajax and Liverpool coming out on top but the latter the only one of the sides to have progressed to the knockout phase. A fast start to the campaign certainly guided Qarabag into the direction of progression to the knockout phase playoffs.

Qarabag had already placed themselves in the history books having become the first side from their country to win back-to-back wins in the Champions League - having come back from behind to defeat Benfica 3-2 in their opening match - before a 2-0 victory over Copenhagen at the Tofig Bahramov Republican Stadium in Baku on matchday two. The stadium is named after the iconic Azerbaijani referee who officiated the historic 1966 World Cup final and holds just over 31,000 spectators. A 94th minute winner against Eintracht Frankfurt courtesy of Bahlul Mustafazade sent the Baku crowd into bedlam to secure victory on the penultimate matchday of the league phase.

Progression to the knockout phase in a UEFA competition has occurred twice previously for Qarabag, in 2021-22 and 2023-24 respectively. A second place finish in their UEFA Conference League group in 2021-22 secured them progression to their first ever knockout round in a UEFA competition.

In the 2023-24 season Qarabag again progressed to the knockout rounds, but this time in the UEFA Europa League securing qualification by finishing second in a group that was topped by eventual finalists and Bundesliga invincibles Bayer Leverkusen. The 2023-24 campaign saw progression to the round of 16 thanks to a 4-2 away leg victory over Braga before the toughest of examinations against Bayer Leverkusen proved to be too much for ‘The Horsemen’. The side’s nickname comes from the Karabakh horse breed, native to their region.

The eventual finalists were held to a 2-2 draw in the first leg in Baku, before two stoppage time strikes from Patrik Schick in the second leg put the German side 3-2 up on the night to progress. Gurban Gurbanov (who has been regarded as the Sir Alex Ferguson of Azerbaijani football) has been the man behind the Qarabag magic since his appointment in 2008.

With the exception of the inaugural league title in 1993, all twelve of the Premier League titles won by the Club have come under the leadership of Gurbanov who has led Qarabag to four consecutive league titles, their last league campaign without winning the title came in the 2020/21 season, finishing runners-up to Neftci Baku by just two points. Widely regarded as the most decorated side from their country they have also triumphed as Azerbaijani Cup winners on eight occasions.

Premier League winner and veteran goalkeeper Asmir Begovic is widely regarded as one of, if not the most well known player worldwide to have played for Qarabag, during a six month loan spell in 2019. Cape Verde international Leandro Andrade is often regarded as the best current player in the Qarabag squad having netted fifteen times in the 2024/25 season. Frenchman Abdellah Zoubir who has been an ever-present since 2018 sits second in the side’s all-time goalscoring records with 74 goals in all competitions. Mushfig Huseynov sits top of the goalscoring charts on 127 goals across north of a decade.

Written and Researched by Luke Presland

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