Sabah Baku welcome Slavia Prague to the Baku Olympic Stadium on Tuesday, 13 October, with both clubs chasing their first points of the Champions League league phase. Kick-off is at 18:45 in Azerbaijan’s capital, where the home side are making their European debut in front of their own supporters.
A pivotal second night in Baku
The occasion carries contrasting pressure for two clubs at very different stages of their European development. Sabah, only nine years old and backed by significant investment, have risen unexpectedly into Europe’s top 32 after previously being largely unknown beyond Azerbaijan. Qarabag have long been the country’s more familiar continental representative, but Sabah now have a major platform of their own.
Valdas Dambrauskas’ side were heavily beaten in their opening league-phase match and will look to respond in their first home fixture in European competition. The Baku Olympic Stadium provides the setting for a night that could give the club its first Champions League points and further establish its name beyond Azerbaijan.
Slavia arrive with a more immediate need to recover. Jindrich Trpisovsky’s team surrendered their opening match against RC Lens after being overturned in stoppage time, leaving Prague without a point from a game that had appeared under control.
- Sabah began their Champions League campaign with a heavy defeat and now play their first European home match at the Baku Olympic Stadium.
- Slavia Prague lost dramatically to Lens after conceding a late turnaround, making their trip east a chance to avoid an early gap in the league-phase standings.
- The Czech side are regarded as stronger both physically and technically, and travel as favourites despite the unfamiliar setting.
- For Sabah, the match is an opportunity to show that their rapid emergence is more than a one-off qualification story.
The selected teams
Dambrauskas and Trpisovsky have named their starting elevens for the contest.
| Sabah Baku | Slavia Prague |
|---|---|
| Pokatilov | Markovic |
| Zedadka | Zima |
| Solvet | N’Guessan |
| McCarthy | Holes |
| Puchacz | Sturm |
| Rakhmonaliev | Sadilek |
| Lepinjica | Moses |
| Parris | Vlcek |
| du Queiroz | Ayaosi |
| Simic | Provod |
| Mickels | Chory |
Slavia’s objective is direct: turn superiority on paper into a first Champions League victory and keep their route towards the knockout phase intact. Sabah, meanwhile, have a home crowd and a landmark stage on which to answer the opening setback.
