Words by Matthew Connelly
Wednesday night marks another stop on Newcastle United’s European adventure as they make the 2,529-mile trip to Azerbaijan, the longest by an English team in the history of the competition, to face Qarabag FK.
Although somewhat of an unknown entity to the majority of English football fans, the Azerbaijani side are no pushovers and have shown promise already in the competition, with wins over the likes of Eintracht Frankfurt.
Who Are Qarabag FK?
Qarabag are Azerbaijan’s most successful club, having won the Premier League 12 times and the Azerbaijan Cup 8 times.
The club have also had relative success in Europe, becoming the first Azerbaijani club to make it to the group stages of a European competition in the 2013/14 Europa League.
Despite originating from Aghdam in the Karabakh region, Qarabag haven’t played in its hometown since all the way back in 1993 due to the area being engulfed in the first Nagorno-Karabakh War between Armenia and Azerbaijan.
The club are in many ways punching way above their weight, both in terms of performance, the revenue they generate, and the budget they have available to spend.
Qarabag’s record signing, Richard Almeida, joined the club in 2012 for a mere £1.1m – a world away from the financial might of their Champions League competitors.
But that hasn’t prevented them from performing far beyond expectations in this year’s competition, with all the heroics masterminded by long-serving manager Gurban Gurbanov.
What can Newcastle Expect?
Gurbanov has earned a reputation for his ability to make such a seemingly under-equipped side competitive on the biggest of stages.
As the calibre of player at his disposal suggests, his tactical outlook doesn’t look to dominate the ball or the game but instead aims to limit the opposition’s fluidity, before being effective and adaptable when the opportunity to use the ball arises.
Qarabag usually set up in a 4-2-3-1, something they will likely replicate on Wednesday, which slips into a very narrow and disciplined 4-4-1-1 when they don’t have the ball.
Wingers Leandro Andrade and Abdellah Zoubir work exceptionally hard to prevent 2 vs 1s with the fullbacks, which will be useful for them given the overlapping ability of the likes of Lewis Hall on the Newcastle left flank, and look to create a midfield shield where possible.
This system makes them difficult to break down, something that has been problematic for Eddie Howe’s side this season when playing against low blocks.
In possession, Qarabag’s look to counterattack, but don’t be fooled into thinking they are one-dimensional, as when they get the chance, their build-up is often methodical and intricate if they see the opportunity to play through the lines.
In the attacking third, intelligent and technically adept wingers are the main outlet, with those who play wide frequently drifting centrally into the half spaces and causing problems for both the defence and midfield should they be flat, which may be the case in Newcastle’s system.
Who to Watch Out For?
There are a few names worth watching out for, including Qarabag’s all-time top scorer Abdellah Zoubir, who will be operating off the left-hand side against Kieran Trippier.
But perhaps the most prominent threat is on the other side in the form of Leandro Andrade, who has a respectable tally of three Champions League goals so far this campaign and is always a nuisance with his pace and trickery cutting in from the right wing.
Camilo Duran is also one to keep an eye on, given his excellent European performances, which have seen him amass four goals and an assist in the eight games.
Duran will operate in the 10 position, trying to find those gaps behind the midfield line, which Newcastle have been known to struggle with, and will likely be the man that most of the attacking play centres through, given his creative ability.
