Newcastle United's Brazilian midfielder #07 Joelinton (C) celebrates with teammates after scoring their second goal during the UEFA Champion's League knockout round play-off, 2nd leg football match between Newcastle United and Qarabag at St James' Park in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, north east England on February 24, 2026. (Photo by Paul ELLIS / AFP via Getty Images)placeholder image
Newcastle United's Brazilian midfielder #07 Joelinton (C) celebrates with teammates after scoring their second goal during the UEFA Champion's League knockout round play-off, 2nd leg football match between Newcastle United and Qarabag at St James' Park in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, north east England on February 24, 2026. (Photo by Paul ELLIS / AFP via Getty Images) | AFP via Getty Images
Newcastle United still have two players walking a disciplinary tightrope heading into the Champions League round of 16.
The Magpies will face either Premier League rivals Chelsea or Barcelona, who won 2-1 at St James’ Park during the league phase, after beating Qarabag 9-3 on aggregate in the play-offs.
Eddie Howe’s side won the first leg in Azerbaijan 6-1 and followed that up with a 3-2 win on Tyneside after goals from Sandro Tonali, Joelinton and Sven Botman.
Newcastle United pair avoid bookings v Qarabag
Having a five-goal advantage allowed Howe to make seven changes for the second-leg but he took a rather risky move by naming both Joelinton and Burn in the starting XI.
Newcastle were without Malick Thiaw as he served a one-match Champions League ban. Joelinton and Burn are at risk of the same punishment.
As per UEFA rules, three yellow cards before the semi-final stage automatically results in a one-match suspension. Thiaw picked up his third in last Wednesday’s first-leg win.
Fortunately, Joelinton and Burn have stayed out of the referee’s book and will therefore be eligible for the first-leg of the last 16. However, the pair continue to walk a disciplinary tightrope.
The yellow card threshold is in place until after the quarter-final stage, meaning both players will have to go as many as four matches without a caution, should Newcastle reach the semi-finals.
Explaining the decision to start the pair, Howe said: “Well, I had to play some players! I had to put 11 players out on the pitch and with Malick’s suspension, Dan had to play because I wanted to give Lewis Hall the rest above anybody else.
“It was really a case of just trying to select who we felt really needed it and who we felt could get through the game.
“Now, thankfully, Dan and Joe didn't get booked but whether you can go into the game with that sort of mindset, I think you've just got to play the game.
“We've got a really fragile squad at the moment. We've got a number of players that we're willing to get back as quickly as possible. I've got a set of lads that have played and committed to every performance. They’ve been magnificent for us.”
Bruno Guimaraes, Sandro Tonali, Aaron Ramsdale, Joe Willock, Anthony Elanga and Anthony Gordon are the only other Newcastle players who have been shown a yellow card in the Champions League this season. Those players are two yellows from a ban.
Joelinton angry after being substituted
The issue Howe had in the end was not yellow cards, but rather the fact that Joelinton had an angry reaction to being substituted in the 53rd minute.
The moment was captured by the TV cameras and in response, Howe said: “Joey always plays with that passion, I think that's what makes him the player that he is.
“From my side, I'm trying to protect him and make sure that we're able to use him in the next game. He's had very limited football and he's such an important player. We need to keep him fit.
“There was method behind what I was trying to do with him. The same as Sven Botman, we need to try and keep these key players fit who haven't had a lot of football, so we need to build that robustness up.
“But I love the fact that he doesn't want to come off. That’s him in a nutshell, really, he's very passionate and wants to do well.”
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