This evening, when his side take to the field at Baku’s Tofiq Bahramov Republican Stadium, the Magpies boss will rack up another first. For the first time in their history, Newcastle will be contesting a knockout game in the Champions League.
That is not to be sniffed at. But the remodelled format of European football’s premier competition means an asterisk has to be placed against the achievement. This might be a knockout game, but it is also a play-off for a place in the last 16, and with the utmost respect to Azerbaijani champions Qarabag, that has to be the real goal.
A game against either Barcelona or Chelsea for a place in the Champions League quarter-finals would be a truly landmark moment. To make that happen, Newcastle first have to account for Qarabag.
“This means everything to us,” said Howe, who was speaking moments before his players trained on the pitch in Baku last night. “If you look at the history of the club, this is a slightly new opportunity for us to get to the last 16 of this competition. That would be an incredible achievement.
“We’re trying to embrace it in that way and look at the excitement and the possibility rather than feel too much of the burden of the pressure of the occasion. We want to turn these moments and these games into history opportunities and moments that people talk about for a long, long time.
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“I think there’s a real excitement with this game, with the travel and the number of supporters we’re bringing. I think it’s all set to be a great occasion, but then of course we have to do our bit. We have to bring our A-game and approach the game in the right way in terms of our attitude. I know we will. And then we need to deliver like we have in our last two away games.”
Newcastle start as strong favourites against a Qarabag side that were thrashed 6-0 by Liverpool at Anfield in their final game in the group stage.
Howe was rewatched that match on a number of occasions and feels the scoreline is deceptive. November’s 2-2 home draw with Chelsea is a better reflection of what the Azerbaijani side is capable of, along with their group-stage record in general.
Ajax were the only side to beat Qarabag in Baku in this season’s Champions League, and even then Qabarag scored two goals and twice threw away the lead. Newcastle’s opponents this evening have won at Benfica and beaten Eintracht Frankfurt on home soil. The Magpies have the cushion of knowing next week’s decider will be staged at St James’ Park, but this two-legged tie is anything but a gimme.
“I’ve watched a lot of Qarabag in the build-up to the game,” said Howe. “I watched both of those games (against Chelsea and Liverpool) and thought it was interesting because, with the Liverpool game, I didn’t think the scoreline was reflective of the game at all.
“I thought Qarabag made a really good, bright start to that game and had a number of chances and looked really threatening with the ball. They showed their high technical level and they’ve got some dangerous players. You can look at the scoreline and make one assumption, and then look at the game and get a totally different impression.
“The Chelsea game, I thought was a really hard-fought game between two good teams. It was a really good one for us to watch to see the level of team we’re going to be up against.
“I’ll certainly be getting across to the players that there’s no complacency. We know this is going to be a tough test for us because I really like and respect Qarabag’s style. I like the way they play with four fluid attackers. They’re very aggressive. They attack, they want to score.
“Trying to compare them to a Premier League team is quite difficult because I think they’re quite unique. But I think they could grace the Premier League – I think they’re that strong.”
After tonight’s game, Newcastle head to the Etihad on Saturday evening to take on Manchester City in the fourth instalment of what is becoming a seemingly never-ending saga in the wake of the FA Cup draw. That is a daunting prospect, but for now, it can wait.
“We need to pick a team with this game in mind and we’ll worry about the Manchester City game afterwards,” said Howe. “I think it would be foolish to juggle too much. We’ve got our eyes very firmly on what we need to do. We need to try to perform well and be at our best. Manchester City in itself is such a difficult game that that can wait until Thursday morning.”