Sabah Azerbaijan Set to Face Hapoel Be'er Sheva in Champions League Playoff

Hapoel Be'er Sheva advanced impressively in European competition by defeating Red Star Belgrade 2-0 on Tuesday, securing a 3-0 aggregate victory and a spot in the UEFA Champions League playoff round. Their next opponent is Sabah FC from Azerbaijan, who eliminated Danish club Aarhus to reach this stage. Sabah is a relatively new club, founded in 2017, but has quickly risen to prominence, winning their first Azerbaijani league title last season by surpassing Qarabağ.

Sabah is familiar to Israeli football fans, having knocked Maccabi Haifa out of the UEFA Conference League qualifiers two years ago after a dramatic penalty shootout, despite a 3-0 loss in the first leg. The team features former Maccabi Haifa player Xander Sabrina, who scored in Sabah's dominant 4-0 win over Aarhus, completing a 6-1 aggregate triumph.

Known for their physical and aggressive style, Sabah leverages their height advantage on set pieces and excels at quick counterattacks. Their qualifying campaign has been strong, with five wins in six matches, conceding only three goals and scoring 12. Key players include top scorer Joy-Lance Mickels, who led the league in goals during their championship season and has three goals in six Champions League qualifiers this season; Serbian striker Veljko Simic, who has five goals in six games; Jamaican winger Kahim Faris, noted for his speed and one-on-one ability; and Polish left-back Tymoteusz Puchacz, who contributes offensively from the flank.

The team is coached by Lithuanian Valdas Dambrauskas, who joined in summer 2023 and led Sabah to their historic league title in his first season. He previously managed Ludogorets and Hajduk Split. With only two matches separating Hapoel Be'er Sheva from a historic group stage qualification, the upcoming playoff against Sabah promises to be a challenging encounter.