Preview: Sabah vs Hapoel Be'er Sheva - prediction, team news, lineups

Sabah and Hapoel Be'er Sheva will lock horns in the second leg of their Champions League playoff tie at Bank Respublika Arena in Azerbaijan on Tuesday.

The Owls trail 2-1 from the first leg in Bucharest and now need a special performance on home soil to overturn the deficit and secure a place in the Champions League league phase for the first time in their history.

Match preview

Sabah made a blistering start to the first leg, taking the lead inside six minutes through Veljko Simic, but they were unable to withstand Hapoel Be'er Sheva's response as the hosts turned the contest around.

The reigning Azerbaijani champions have also made an encouraging start to the 2026-27 domestic campaign, opening with a 2-0 victory over Kapaz while carrying their impressive European form into the new season.

The Black-pinks have negotiated ties against TNS, KuPS and AGF to reach this stage, but Tuesday's showdown arguably represents the biggest occasion in the club's history, with a place in the Champions League league phase within touching distance.

Valdas Dambrauskas's side can draw inspiration from their remarkable turnaround against AGF, having recovered from a 2-1 first-leg defeat before dismantling the Danish outfit 4-0 in the return fixture at home.

Sabah have also won every European fixture played on home soil during this qualifying campaign, a record that should fuel belief ahead of a defining second leg, although they still face a formidable task to overturn the deficit and make history.

Hapoel Be'er Sheva, like Sabah, are chasing a historic first appearance in league phase of the Champions League and will take a slender advantage into Tuesday's decisive return fixture.

The Camels showed considerable character in the first leg, responding to Sabah's early opener by restoring parity through Javon East towards the end of the first half before Igor Zlatanovic completed the comeback with the winning goal.

Ran Kojok's side have now won four consecutive matches in the Champions League qualifiers and are tantalisingly close to making history, although Sabah will be determined to ensure their own European dream does not end on home soil.

The Camels are also the reigning Israeli champions, having secured their first Premier League title since 2017-18, but a place in the Champions League main round would represent another significant milestone for the club.

The manner of their first-leg comeback should provide plenty of encouragement, while their impressive 2-0 away victory over Red Star Belgrade in the previous round underlines their ability to produce big performances on the European stage.

Sabah Champions League form:

Sabah form (all competitions):

Hapoel Be'er Sheva Champions League form:

Hapoel Be'er Sheva form (all competitions):

Team News

The home side will once again look to Veljko Simic for inspiration, with the attacking midfielder enjoying a rich vein of form after scoring six goals in seven appearances.

Joy Lance-Mickels endured a quiet evening in Romania, but he has already shown his ability to deliver on big occasions, scoring four goals in all competitions since the start of the season.

Eliel Peretz was outstanding in the first leg and should retain his place in midfield, with Lucas Ventura and Niv Yehoshua expected to continue alongside him in a compact three-man midfield.

Miguel Vitor and Itay Rotman were both booked in the previous encounter, but neither is expected to be sacrificed for this crucial second leg.

Sabah possible starting lineup:

Pokatilov; Zedadka, Solvet, Dashdamirov, Puchacz; Rakhmonaliyev, Lepinjica; Simic, Isayev, Severina; Mickels

Hapoel Be'er Sheva possible starting lineup:

Marciano; Mizrahi, Miguel Vitor, Rotman, Amador; Peretz, Lucas Ventura, Yehoshua; East, Zlatanovic, Ahmed

We say: Sabah 2-0 Hapoel Be'er Sheva (Sabah to progress 3-2 on aggregate)

Sabah's outstanding home record in European competition gives them reason to believe they can overturn the first-leg deficit, while the attacking form of Veljko Simic could prove decisive in front of their own supporters.

Hapoel Be'er Sheva have shown plenty of resilience during their qualifying campaign, but Sabah should be able to apply sustained pressure on home soil and produce the comeback required to reach the Champions League league phase.

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