NEWCASTLE get the better of PSG... again, a first trip to Azerbaijan, and what does their Champions League group stage form mean for their prospects in the rest of the competition?
I write this on February 3 - several days after the Magpies' dire away performance at Anfield, and a day before their Carabao Cup semi-final second leg at the Etihad.
A good start against Liverpool soon turned into capitulation, as for the umpteenth time this season, Newcastle failed to capitalise on an early lead.
Newcastle's game management this season has been the poorest that we've seen, going back to the woeful Steve Bruce days. Adding insult to injury, Hugo Ekitike had an excellent game and very much looks like the real deal.
Former Newcastle transfer target Hugo Ekitike ran riot against the Magpies (Image: Peter Byrne/PA Wire)
I could talk about injuries - Newcastle players have missed more days through injury than any other Premier League club in 25/26 - and the thus far poor outlook in terms of the spending of the 'Alexander Isak' money, but what is really striking this season is the Magpies' complete lack of semblance of any consistency.
Just as you think Eddie Howe's side might build on the heroic performance at the Parc des Princes last Wednesday, against arguably the best team in the world, they throw away a one-goal lead a mere five minutes after going in front against Liverpool.
Rather than building on confidence, recording a 4-1 loss in the lead-up to Wednesday's (February 4) second-leg League Cup match at Manchester City, where they already find themselves 2-0 down on aggregate, just about puts that already insurmountable tie to bed.
Champions League hopes
The 1-1 draw against PSG last week saw Newcastle finish twelfth in the Champions League group stage table, setting up a two-legged knockout round playoff against Qarabag FK.
It marks the first time in their 133-year history that Newcastle have reached the knockout rounds of the Champions League (formerly European Cup), a key milestone and integral step forward as the club, now nearly five years under the ownership of the Saudi Arabian-backed Public Investment Fund (PIF), attempts to make inroads in their quest to challenge Europe's established elite.
Joe Willock put in a resurgent performance against PSG in Newcastle's final Champions League group stage match (Image: Michel Euler/PA)
The matchup with Qarabag also marks the first time that Newcastle will face an Azerbaijan side. With very few direct flights from the UK to the Eastern European country, Toon fans have had to get creative whilst hunting for travel plans to Baku that won't break the bank.
If Howe's men can surpass the 12-time Azerbaijan Premier League winners, whose stadium capacity is just 5,800, they will progress to the Champions League round of 16 proper.
Up to this point, Newcastle's form in Europe's premier competition has arguably been their saving grace in the 25/26 season.
Four wins (Union Saint-Gilloise, Benfica, Athletic Bilbao, and PSV), two draws (Bayer Leverkusen and PSG), and two losses (Barcelona and Marseille) are a respectable showing and bode well for the knockout rounds, particularly when considering Newcastle's up-and-down domestic form.
Howe's men should have too much quality and know-how for Qarabag, setting up a tricky round of 16 tie against either Barcelona or Chelsea.
If Newcastle is to exit at that stage, I think most Toon fans will be content with this season's European ventures. Not even the most fanciful of Magpies fans, for which there are certainly a few, predict Newcastle to reach the Champions League final.
However, if Newcastle beat Qarabag and find themselves facing Chelsea in the round of 16, I think their chances of quarter-final qualification go up tenfold.
Newcastle won four of their eight group stage matches (Image: David Davies/PA Wire)
Beating the Blues, two-time Champions League winners, shouldn't be out of the realm of possibility; Newcastle have overcome Chelsea in two out of the last three matchups, drawing their last game in December after throwing away a two-goal lead in the second half.
A tie against world football titans Barcelona would pose a much trickier proposition. The 24/25 La Liga champions currently sit atop the Spanish league; talents like Lamine Yamal, Raphinha, and Pedri would, in all likelihood, prove too much for Newcastle at this stage.
For now, an entertaining matchup with Qarabag awaits - including a 5,000-mile round trip against opposition that shouldn't be underestimated.