Hapoel Beer Sheva have been defensively resolute at home this campaign, keeping clean sheets in both matches and conceding just 0.5 goals per game overall. Sabah FA arrive on a four-match winning streak and have scored in every away game, but the three regular starters absent fro…
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Sign inIsraeli side Hapoel Beer Sheva host Azerbaijan's Sabah FA in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League play-off tie on Wednesday 19 August 2026. The match kicks off at 21:00 CET, with a place in the 36-team league phase at stake for two clubs chasing their first-ever appearance in the competition proper.
The winner of this two-legged tie will make history, and Hapoel carry considerable momentum into the contest after an emphatic 3-0 aggregate victory over 1991 European Cup winners Crvena Zvezda in the previous round. Sabah, founded just nine years ago, are equally confident having put four unanswered second-half goals past Aarhus in their own third qualifying round tie, turning a first-leg deficit into a comprehensive 5-2 aggregate success.
Hapoel Beer Sheva have several injury concerns to monitor ahead of the first leg. Defender Djibril Diop is listed with a thigh injury, while Pedro Amador has an Achilles tendon problem and João Victor is recovering from a hamstring issue. Their availability could significantly affect the depth of Hapoel's defensive options, though it has not been confirmed that all three will miss out.
For Sabah, the current squad overview lists no unavailable players, giving head coach Murad Musayev a full squad to choose from. That continuity could prove valuable as the Azerbaijani champions attempt to take a positive result back to the Bank Respublika Arena for the return leg on 25 August.
Hapoel’s progression past Crvena Zvezda was built on a disciplined structure under manager Ran Kozuch. The Serbian giants were beaten 1-0 at home before a 2-0 defeat in Belgrade sealed a 3-0 aggregate scoreline. Serbian forward Igor Zlatanović, formerly of Partizan, was among the scorers in the second leg and will be a key attacking threat again.
The team tends to operate in a 4-3-3 shape that can drop into a deeper defensive block when out of possession, allowing space for rapid transitions towards wide players. The combination play between Zlatanović and attacking midfielder East has been particularly productive — East’s assist for Zlatanović and his own goal in Belgrade demonstrated how dangerous Hapoel can be when the forwards interchange positions during attacking moves.
Sabah are bidding to become only the second Azerbaijani club to reach a Champions League group stage, after Qarabağ achieved the feat in 2017/18 and again in 2025/26. The club from Masazir, just outside Baku, have already navigated two qualifying rounds, recovering from a 2-1 first-leg loss to Aarhus with a dominant 4-0 home win in the return fixture.
Sabah manager Vasiliy Berezutskiy deployed a 4-3-3 formation in the opening European tie of this campaign. Their greater share of possession does not always equate to control, however — Hapoel have shown they can punish teams who lose the ball in midfield, and Sabah will need to be alert to the quick transitions that undid Crvena Zvezda.
Zlatanović enters the play-off round as the focal point of Hapoel’s attack. His movement around the central striker role — drifting wide and linking with supporting runners — makes him difficult to track. Sabah’s defence must be wary not only of traditional passes towards the central striker but also the off-the-ball runs that create space for others. If East and Zlatanović are allowed to rotate freely, Sabah’s hopes of keeping a clean sheet away from home will be severely tested.
The fixture arrives during a congested period for both sides. Hapoel face a domestic league match against Hapoel Haifa on 15 August, while Sabah play Kəpəz on the same day, meaning squad rotation and fatigue management could influence team selections. The return leg is scheduled for Tuesday 25 August at 18:45 CET in Azerbaijan.
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