Preview: Aarhus vs. Sabah - prediction, team news, lineups

A week after a stunning fightback against Lech Poznan, Aarhus host Azerbaijani champions Sabah at Randers Stadion in the first leg of their Champions League third qualifying round.

The Danish champions overturned a 4-1 first-leg home loss to ultimately triumph on penalties, pitting the Jutland outfit against an opponent whose defensive resoluteness has been evident in the first and second qualifying rounds.

Match preview

When AGF goalkeeper Jesper Hansen was sent off after 37 minutes against Lech, with the Danish side already trailing 1-0, fans of the Jutland-based club probably feared the worst.

Those fears were likely realised as they conceded three more after the break, despite Kristian Arnstad briefly halving the deficit, as Jakob Poulsen's men fell to a 4-1 defeat on home soil.

That left the Danish champions facing an uphill challenge in the reverse fixture in Poznan; however, they forced extra time with a stunning 3-0 success after 90 minutes before forcing a shootout after matching their Polish opponents after 120 minutes.

Buoyed by Mads Hedenstad's penalty-saving heroics — Hansen's replacement saved two spot-kicks — Poulsen's men return to Champions League action on Wednesday, aiming to carry that momentum into facing Valdas Dambrauskas's defensively resolute side.

Having not reached the tournament proper in any of the continental club tournaments since the 1997-98 UEFA Cup, a positive result on home turf this time undeniably gives Byens Hold a genuine shot of progressing to the playoff round.

Facing Sabah ostensibly ought to provide a stern test for the Danish champions, especially considering that the Owls have kept clean sheets in three of their four matches in Champions League qualifying.

Only The New Saints have managed to breach the Azerbaijani champions in the first and second rounds, but a closer look shows that Dambrauskas's team conceded in the 89th minute of the second leg when they led 4-0 on aggregate.

Keeping matches tight has been par for the course for Bayquslar, who have yet to score more than two goals in any of their matches against TNS or KuPS, undeniably a bedrock of their run to this stage.

The current run of three clean sheets in four was probably unforeseen after a winless sequence of three matches in their tune-up fixtures before the preliminary stage, including a 4-1 thrashing by Polissya at the start of July.

With their winning run carrying them into the third qualifying round of the Champions League for the first time, you would forgive fans of Sabah for dreaming of the possibility of reaching the playoff round and ultimately the tournament proper of Europe's premier club competition for the first time.

Aarhus Champions League form:

Aarhus form (all competitions):

Sabah Champions League form:

Team News

With Hansen returning after serving his suspension, Poulsen faces a difficult call between the sticks after Hedenstad impressed against Lech, making seven saves in 120 minutes before thwarting two penalty-takers in the shootout.

Kevin Yakob has not played since going off in the 4-1 loss to Lech; however, there could be returns for Markus Solbakken, Nicolai Poulsen and Tobias Molgaard, who have yet to feature in any competitive match this season but are part of the squad for Wednesday.

Frederik Tingager was replaced after 12 minutes against Lyngby at the weekend, making the centre-back doubtful for the first leg.

Arnstad has scored in all four competitive matches for AGF this term — two in the Champions League and as many in the Danish Superliga — and the forward will aim to be on target for a fifth game running.

Joy-Lance Mickels scored 19 league goals in Sabah's title-winning campaign last term, and the forward has notched two in Europe so far, hitting the target against TNS and KuPS.

The forward's threat is backed up by Veljko Simic, who has scored three goals and has assisted one in four matches in qualifying — including match-opening strikes against The New Saints and in both legs versus KuPS — highlighting the Serbian's decisive final-third execution.

Stas Pokatilov has been in goal for all four matches in the preliminary rounds, keeping three clean sheets, and the shot-stopper will hope to continue his fine run against the Danish champions.

Aarhus possible starting lineup:

Hedenstad; Jensen-Abbew, Callo, Kahl; Anderson, Knudsen, Jonsson, Emmery; Bech, Arnstad; Bogere

Sabah possible starting lineup:

Pokatilov; Zedadka, Solvet, Dashdamirov, Puchacz; Lepinjica, Rahmonaliev; Parris, Isayev, Simic; Mickels

We say: Aarhus 2-1 Sabah

High on confidence after their sensational fightback against Lech, AGF will look to seize the initiative on home soil behind the form of Arnstad.

Although Sabah's resolute backline has proved exceptionally tough to breach in qualifying, the Danish champions should possess enough momentum to break down the stubborn visitors and establish a narrow first-leg lead.

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