Today, the draw for the UEFA Champions League play-off round was held.
Clubs that finished the League stage in 9th–24th places participated in the draw held in Nyon, Switzerland.
Qarabağ, representing our country in the tournament, could have been drawn against either France's PSG or England's Newcastle in the play-off.
The draw pitted our team against Newcastle.
But can Qarabağ overcome the Newcastle barrier?
According to Modern.az, sports journalists have answered this question:
Anar Xanlarov, editor of Rekord.az, stated that "Qarabağ" had no chance against PSG.:
“Being rivals with Newcastle has both good and bad sides. The bad side is that they are an English club, and Qarabağ has a nightmare record against English clubs away from home. The good side is that a chance for revenge against English clubs has arisen. We can get back what we've accumulated so far from Newcastle. Every syndrome has a breaking point; let that moment for Qarabağ be Newcastle!”
Rəşad Ergün, head of Komanda.az:
“Newcastle is neither Chelsea nor Liverpool. With a bit of luck, Qarabağ can overcome this team. But even if they don't, it won't be the end of the world. Our team has already done its best.”
Kənan Məstəliyev, editor-in-chief of Rekord.az, also noted that Qarabağ has a chance against Newcastle:
“Our opponent is Newcastle! It's a good draw. PSG is a formidable team. We got lucky. Newcastle is a more suitable opponent than PSG.
It's good that the first match is in Baku. We will leave the excitement behind at home in the first match and get comfortably acquainted with their strengths. If the first match had been away, it would have been difficult to recover afterward.
There is a 35-40 percent hope for Qarabağ to advance to the next stage. We need to fight.”
It should be recalled that Qarabağ will play the first match in Baku and the return leg away. The play-off matches will be played on February 17-18, and the return legs on February 24-25.
It should be noted that the winner of the Qarabağ - Newcastle pairing will face either Barcelona or Chelsea, who finished the League stage in 5th place, in the 1/8 final.
