Sabah vs The New Saints - prediction, team news, lineups

The archetypal qualifying circular of the 2026-27 Champions League gets underway connected Tuesday evening, with clubs from crossed Europe looking to instrumentality the archetypal measurement towards reaching the league phase.

Azerbaijan Premier League champions Sabah welcome Welsh outfit The New Saints to Bank Respublika Arena for the opening limb of their first-round qualifier.

Match preview

Founded successful 2017, Sabah person enjoyed a accelerated emergence nether Valdas Dambrauskas, culminating successful a historical league and cupful treble past play that ended Qarabag's long-standing dominance of Azerbaijani football.

Backed by important fiscal investment, the Owls person featured successful UEFA contention successful each of the past 3 seasons and volition present beryllium aiming to scope the Champions League league signifier for the archetypal clip successful their history.

Although erstwhile European campaigns ended astatine the hands of Celje and Levski Sofia, Sabah volition instrumentality assurance from a ascendant home run that saw them decorativeness 9 points wide of Qarabag astatine the apical of the table.

Dambrauskas's broadside will, however, beryllium hoping to amended connected a mixed pre-season that has produced 2 draws and 1 decision from their 3 affable matches since the extremity of the home campaign.

As for The New Saints, they secured an 18th Cymru Premier rubric past season, with Craig Harrison's broadside finishing a mammoth 22 points wide of second-placed Connah's Quay Nomads.

Like Sabah, TNS fell abbreviated of reaching the league signifier successful Europe past season, suffering Champions League elimination to Shkendija earlier Differdange brought their Conference League hopes to an end.

Their preparations person been somewhat much encouraging, with triumph implicit Welders followed by a constrictive 2-1 decision to Bangor successful their last warm-up fixture.

While TNS person established themselves arsenic the ascendant unit successful Welsh football, translating that home occurrence into Europe has proved much difficult.

However, they made past 2 seasons agone by becoming the archetypal Welsh nine to suffice for the Conference League radical stage, and they volition beryllium hoping to nutrient different memorable continental run this clip around.

Sabah signifier (all competitions):

W L W D D L

The New Saints signifier (all competitions):

W W W D W L

Team News

With the summertime transportation model inactive open, some managers could manus competitory debuts to respective caller arrivals arsenic they statesman different European campaign.

Sabah are expected to springiness archetypal starts to immoderate of their summertime recruits, with defender Aden McCarthy, who joined from Kaizer Chiefs past month, successful enactment to slot consecutive into the hosts' backmost line.

The New Saints, meanwhile, person seen respective cardinal players depart pursuing different title-winning run and could besides tract a refreshed starting XI.

TNS, meanwhile, person had respective cardinal players depart aft their palmy run and volition beryllium looking to manus retired debuts connected Tuesday night.

Rhys Hughes is among those pushing for a competitory debut aft arriving from Connah's Quay Nomads, having registered an awesome instrumentality of 15 goals and 12 assists past season.

Sabah imaginable starting lineup:

Pokatilov; Zedadka, McCarthy, Dashdamirov, Puchacz; Lepinjica, Malouda, Isayev; Parris, Mickels, Aliyev 

The New Saints imaginable starting lineup:

Shepperd; Simeu, Davies, Bodenham; Williams, Corness, Clark, Redmond; Hughes, Wilson, Brobbel

We say: Sabah 2-1 The New Saints

Tuesday's contention marks the archetypal competitory gathering betwixt the 2 clubs and the archetypal clip that The New Saints person faced Azerbaijani opposition, making this a hard brushwood to predict.

Sabah's greater European acquisition successful caller seasons, coupled with location advantage, could beryllium decisive, and we expect the Azerbaijani champions to instrumentality a slender pb into adjacent week's 2nd limb successful Wales.

For information investigation of the astir apt results, scorelines and much for this lucifer delight click here.