Newcastle United have one foot in the last-16 of the Champions League, but some players could be playing on a tightrope against Qarabag
Players of Newcastle United, Aaron Ramsdale, Dan Burn of Newcastle United, Malick Thiaw of Newcastle United, Joelinton of Newcastle United, Nick Woltemade of Newcastle United, Tino Livramento of Newcastle United, Harvey Barnes of Newcastle United, Sandro Tonali of Newcastle United, Lewis Hall of Newcastle United, Bruno Guimaraes of Newcastle United and Anthony Gordon of Newcastle United pose for a team photo prior to the UEFA Champions League 2025/26 League Phase MD6 match between Bayer 04 Leverkusen and Newcastle United FC at BayArena on December 10, 2025 in Leverkusen, Germany.
Two Newcastle United players will need to avoid getting a yellow card in the second-leg against Qarabag(Image: 2025 Rene Nijhuis/MB Media)
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Newcastle United duo Joelinton and Dan Burn are one yellow card away from a one-match suspension in the Champions League.
The Magpies are as good as in the next round of Europe's elite competition, having beaten Qarabag 6-1 in the first-leg last week.
However, the Eddie Howe will not rest on his laurels, suggesting he is going to pick a strong team for this evening's clash at St. James' Park. If he does opt to choose Joelinton and Burn, then the pair will be walking on a tightrope.
Champions League rules dictate a player who amasses three yellow cards before the quarter-final stage will receive a one-match suspension. The Brazilian and the England international already have two each going into the second-leg.
Joelinton has been one game away from a ban ever since he picked up a yellow card in the 4-0 win over Union Saint-Gilloise on October 25. Burn picked up his two yellow cards in the home defeat to Barcelona and November's away clash against Marseille.
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Defender Malick Thiaw had been at risk of a one-match ban ever since the away clash against Bayer Leverkusen, when he picked up a second yellow card. However, he will be absent for the second-leg, as a result of the booking he picked up in the first-leg victory over Qarabag.
His absence will not be felt too hard, given the huge lead Newcastle have amassed. Moreover, the Magpies were also without Sven Botman for the first-leg, but Howe suggested he could be available. When asked if Botman and Yoanne Wissa will be fit, he said: "We hope they'll be involved. We'll see how they are when they wake up tomorrow, but fingers crossed they will be."
Speaking about his possible team selection, Howe insisted he will be picking a team to beat the Azerbaijanis, despite the huge gulf in the aggregate lead. He said: "We’ll look at the squad and try to pick a strong team.
Referee Urs Schnyder hands out a yellow card to Joelinton of Newcastle during the UEFA Champions League match between Royale Union SG v Newcastle United at the RSC Anderlecht Stadium on October 1, 2025 in Brussel Belgium
Joelinton was booked in Newcastle's first two Champions League matches of the year(Image: 2024 Soccrates Images B.V.)
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"We want to win the game, that’s the first target. In some senses we want to keep a good rhythm with the players. It’s a delicate balance between rotating the squad and making sure everyone’s fresh and also making sure players don’t lose rhythm and we don’t lose the good feeling we’ve had.”
Howe also said finishing the job against Qarabag would represent one huge goal for the season being achieved. He added: "It's something we spoke about before the competition started (reaching the last 16). That was our initial target, we wanted to reach the last-16. Then when you're at that point anything can happen.
"We back ourselves in cup ties and one-off games, that seems to have brought out the best of the squad this year. As much as that's the target, we've still got to win tomorrow's game and that's what we'll focus on."
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