[2026-27 UEFA Champions League] Sabah FK vs Slavia Prague preview Kick-off: October 13, 16:45 UTC
Sabah FK and Slavia Prague meet at Baku Olympic Stadium in the second round of the 2026-27 UEFA Champions League league phase. Both teams lost their opening match and need points. Sabah FK are playing their first home game in the main competition, while Slavia Prague are looking to end a winless run in the competition that dates back to 2007. The game could turn on the early press and how each side handles the opposition’s attacks in the second half.
1. Match overview and team form
Sabah FK lost 4-0 away to Manchester United, while Slavia Prague let a lead slip in a 3-2 home defeat to RC Lens. Sabah FK reached the Champions League main competition for the first time after coming through eight qualifying matches this season. Slavia Prague finished last season’s league phase with no wins, three draws and five defeats, and have gone 20 matches without a win in the main competition since September 2007. The teams have never met in a competitive match. Slavia Prague forward Sturm faced Sabah FK last year with Celje, but Sabah FK had a different coach and squad then.
| Category | Details | |---|---| | League form | Sabah FK: 5 wins and 1 draw in 6 matches, 14 goals scored and 1 conceded / Slavia Prague: unbeaten in their first 9 matches, top of the table | | Champions League opener | Sabah FK: 4-0 away loss to Manchester United / Slavia Prague: 3-2 home loss to RC Lens | | Most recent match | Sabah FK: 0-0 against Neftçi Baku / Slavia Prague: 1-0 away win against FC Zlín |
Sabah FK won all four of their Champions League qualifying home matches. They were level 0-0 at half-time against Aarhus before scoring four times after the break, and came from 1-1 at half-time to beat Hapoel Be’er Sheva 3-2, with two more second-half goals. Both matches came after first-leg away defeats, which they had to overturn. This is a main competition match, though, and the venue is Baku Olympic Stadium rather than their familiar qualifying ground. Sabah FK’s media officer said around 51,000 tickets had been sold across single-match and package sales (Idman, October 12). A first home game in the main competition in front of a large crowd is a different setting from those qualifying matches.
Slavia Prague remain unbeaten at the top of the Czech league, but their recent results in European competition tell a different story. They have won four domestic matches in a row since the defeat to RC Lens, although they beat Viktoria Plzeň 2-1 with seven players missing and bottom side FC Zlín 1-0 with nine unavailable. Some of their forwards, including Sturm, who rested against FC Zlín, are expected to return in Baku. Injuries and suspensions in defence remain a problem. Against RC Lens, Slavia created chances with an early press and long balls behind the defence, then went ahead twice through Sturm despite playing with 10 men from the 49th minute. But they lost a 2-1 lead in the 88th minute and stoppage time.
Sabah FK coach Dambrauskas has stuck with playing out from the goalkeeper and moving the ball wide to the wingers. Slavia Prague coach Trpisovsky says Sabah FK use their pace out wide when opponents press them. Slavia play a 3-4-2-1, pressing high to win the ball and feed their forwards quickly. Dambrauskas also said Sabah FK have hardly faced a side that presses with the whole team (Czech Television Sport, October 12). If both sides stick to the approach described by their coaches, their plans will collide from Sabah FK’s first pass.
Sabah FK are likely to field the same 11 who started against Manchester United. Attacking midfielder Khayal Aliyev was also absent then, while Rakhmonaliyev, Parris, Nwachukwu and Mickels were left out of the starting XI for the recent Neftçi Baku match. Slavia Prague will be without centre-backs Hálowpeck and Ogbu through injury, and Konečný through suspension. Vlček, Zima and Holeš are expected to form a back three, with Isife and Suleiman at wing-back, though all five started together in only one competitive match, against FC Zlín. Suleiman is listed as a central midfielder. Kubiak remains an option at left wing-back.
Both teams last played on October 9. Slavia Prague face at least five hours of travel from Prague to Baku, followed by a schedule of six matches in 22 days. Assistant coach Houštecký called the travel a burden, but said Baku’s warm weather could be an advantage (Idman, October 12). Rain was not forecast around kick-off, though gusts of 30 to 37 km/h are possible. Strong gusts could affect the accuracy of Slavia Prague’s long balls and Sabah FK’s crosses.
2. Matchup analysis
The first key moment will come when Sabah FK try to play out from the back. If Pokatilov joins the build-up and the centre-backs and midfielders pass short, Slavia Prague will try to win the ball high up the pitch and attack before Sabah FK can get their defensive shape in place. Manchester United’s first goal against Sabah FK came immediately after an inaccurate pass from Parris, as the hosts quickly played down the left. Slavia Prague repeatedly used their press and long passes to get in behind RC Lens early in their match. So where Sabah FK send their first pass, and how accurately they do it, could shape their early risk of conceding.
If Sabah FK play through the press, the situation changes. Once Slavia Prague’s wing-backs push forward to win the ball, the outside centre-backs have to cover the flanks. Parris and right-back Zedadka will target Slavia Prague’s left, where the defence is set to change in Hálowpeck’s absence. Against Manchester United, Parris crossed from the right to the far post, where Mickels got in behind the defence for a free header. He missed, but Sabah FK showed they can create chances on that side. If Suleiman starts at left wing-back as expected, his duel with Parris will matter. Kubiak’s inclusion would change the defensive matchup out wide.
When Slavia Prague win the ball, Sturm’s runs will test Sabah FK’s centre-backs. Against RC Lens, Sturm took a long pass from Isife, battled a defender and scored. Sabah FK conceded to Šeško, who had run in behind their back line against Manchester United. Dambrauskas said his centre-backs had dropped too deep in that match. At times Sabah FK left space behind, and at others the gap opened between midfield and defence. McCarthy and Dashdamirov will need to adjust the line to the forwards’ pressing movements. If Sturm starts on the bench, this duel will become important later in the match.
Set pieces are another route to goal for Slavia Prague. Of their 2.12 expected goals against RC Lens, 1.48 came from set pieces, and the scramble after a Sadílek free-kick led to Sturm’s second goal. Sabah FK conceded against Manchester United after Pokatilov failed to deal with a deflected ball following a free-kick. Still, one match is not enough to conclude Slavia Prague will have the edge from set pieces here. The RC Lens match had the unusual circumstance of a red card in the 49th minute. If Sabah FK are forced to clear the ball to escape the press, Slavia Prague may be able to sustain attacks in the opposing half, but whether those sequences lead to free-kicks and corners will depend on what happens next.
Substitutions could matter after the break. Sabah FK scored eight of their 10 goals in four qualifying home matches in the second half. Slavia Prague conceded 13 of the 20 goals in their last eight Champions League main competition matches after half-time. Those totals come from matches with different opposition and circumstances, including red cards, so they do not guarantee second-half goals here. The choices available tonight are more relevant. Sabah FK can bring on wide players Isayev, Severina and Mbina. Dambrauskas also made like-for-like changes on the wing against Manchester United. Slavia Prague, by contrast, have few options to replace their expected back three with players in the same roles.
That difference could grow if the game stays close. If Sabah FK bring on a fresh winger after 60 minutes, Slavia Prague’s outside centre-backs and wing-backs will have to keep defending one-on-one. Slavia may respond with attacking players such as Sturm, Provod or Chorý instead of adding defensive cover. Sabah FK would then have to keep dealing with Slavia’s direct attacks and set pieces. Both teams badly want points, so they may add attackers if the game remains level, though the score and players’ condition will shape those decisions.
An early Sabah FK concession would not guarantee a close game. They conceded twice more late in the first half after falling behind to Manchester United. If Slavia Prague press their way into the lead and Sabah FK push their defensive line up to chase the game, Sturm could find space in behind again. If Sabah FK withstand the first wave of pressure and go into half-time level, Parris’s attacks down the right and second-half changes out wide will have more time to test Slavia’s new defensive combination. The result will depend on who scores first and whether they can keep their defensive shape afterwards.
3. Final verdict and prediction
We expect Slavia Prague to create chances more often early on. Sabah FK’s usual build-up from the back will come up against Slavia’s high press, and the visitors have ways to score immediately after winning the ball and from set pieces. Sabah FK have hardly faced this kind of all-team press, which raises the chance of an early Slavia goal. But Slavia would still have to deal with Sabah FK’s attacks down the flanks after taking the lead.
The market makes Slavia Prague the most likely winner, giving more weight to their unbeaten start in the Czech league, their experience in the main competition and Sabah FK’s 4-0 defeat to Manchester United. There is a sound case for the view that Slavia’s press will trouble Sabah FK’s first pass. We differ on how the absences affect the defensive options available after the break, rather than on the number of players missing. Even if Slavia take the lead, they will find it difficult to replace their expected back three with players in the same roles, and their newly assembled left side will have to face Sabah FK’s substitute wingers.
Our predicted score is 2-2 or 2-1 to Sabah FK. We see 2-2 as the likelier result, with Slavia Prague taking an early lead through their press or a set piece before Sabah FK fight back with attacks down the right and second-half substitutions. Both teams need points and could keep attacking late in a close game, while Slavia Prague’s lack of defensive replacements could make it harder to hold a lead. If Sabah FK get through the opening stages without conceding, the same attacks down the flank could give them a 2-1 win. This forecast is unlikely to hold if Slavia Prague go 2 goals ahead in the first 30 minutes and Sabah FK fail to restore their defensive shape.
