Sabah Hosts Slavia Prague in Historic Champions League Campaign

Sabah FC faces Slavia Prague in Baku on October 13, 2026, seeking a stronger performance in its first UEFA Champions League league-phase campaign. The Azerbaijani club, coached by Lithuanian manager Valdas Dambrauskas, welcomes the Czech side to Baku Olympic Stadium after losing 4-0 to Manchester United in its opening match.

According to BBC's Champions League standings, Slavia Prague entered the fixture in 21st place with one point, while Sabah ranked 22nd with one point. Both teams are navigating a demanding European campaign, with Sabah experiencing the competition's league phase for the first time.

Sabah secured qualification on August 25, 2026, after progressing through four qualifying rounds. According to Arab News, the club had never previously participated in the Europa League or Conference League and had not advanced beyond two rounds in European competition.

Dambrauskas said reaching the league phase represented a significant milestone, while emphasizing that the club intended to develop its reputation, improve its football and compete against leading European teams.

"Sabah never experienced participation in the Conference League or Europa League, never passed more than two rounds before in European competition, and now we passed all four and qualified for the Champions League," said Dambrauskas.

He acknowledged that the club's ambitions extended beyond qualification, although he considered its achievement sufficient to make the season successful.

"Of course, we want to grow the club brand, we want to be known, we want to improve, we want to play good football, we want to get some results, but everything from here is a bonus," said Dambrauskas.

The schedule presents a substantial challenge for the Azerbaijani side, which is due to face Barcelona, Borussia Dortmund, Villarreal, Napoli, Arsenal and other European opponents. Dambrauskas said the demanding draw could nevertheless provide valuable experience for the club beyond match results.

"The draw was not very favorable for us and we got the strongest teams in the world to play against," said Dambrauskas.

He viewed the campaign as an opportunity to improve the club's organization and raise the international profile of both Sabah and Azerbaijan.

"But this can be very good and provide valuable lessons for the club, not only in terms of the result on the pitch, but in terms of organization and participation and communication about the club, about the country, about Azerbaijan," said Dambrauskas.

He also stressed the importance of making constructive use of the experience gained against Europe's strongest teams.

"We need to take those positives in the best possible way," said Dambrauskas.

Sabah's opening defeat at Old Trafford exposed weaknesses that the manager wants his players to address. According to Arab News, Dambrauskas believed the team had not been overwhelmed by the atmosphere but had made tactical mistakes that opponents at that level could exploit.

"The result was not what we expected, of course, but you can understand where we come from and who we are," said Dambrauskas.

He acknowledged that Sabah would sometimes concede heavily against elite opposition, making it important to assess performances beyond the scoreline.

"We're going to play now against the best teams in the world and we cannot think only about the result because it really can be negative sometimes," said Dambrauskas.

He noted that leading European clubs can score several goals against domestic opponents and said Sabah needed to recognize the risks involved in competing at this level.

"Even in the local leagues, clubs like Manchester United, Borussia Dortmund, Napoli or Barcelona, they can score four, five, six goals. We know that sometimes we can be exposed and sometimes brutally exposed, like it happened against Man United," said Dambrauskas.

The manager said the defeat was not primarily the result of fear or intimidation, but rather uncertainty in specific tactical situations.

"We know that we could do better because we conceded goals from mistakes that, even when you play a team at a much higher level, you cannot make because they will punish you for the smallest mistakes," said Dambrauskas.

He maintained that his players had not been shaken by the occasion, although their decision-making required improvement.

"I cannot say that we were scared or shaky or overwhelmed by the atmosphere. I think we just had a little bit of doubt, especially if you analyze those mistakes from the tactical point of view," said Dambrauskas.

The Lithuanian coach also drew on his extensive international experience, having worked across several countries and clubs during his coaching career.

"I've been very lucky," said Dambrauskas.

He described Azerbaijan as the latest destination in a career shaped by different football cultures.

"At the moment, Azerbaijan is my 10th country and Sabah my 10th football club," said Dambrauskas.

His experience, he explained, has required him to adapt to different environments throughout his career.

"So imagine, in around 15 years, I've lived in 10 different countries and met so many people, learned from so many different environments," said Dambrauskas.

He believes that background helps him communicate with players and colleagues from different cultural and professional settings.

"I really believe that this is my strength because I can speak with and understand people from very different environments," said Dambrauskas.

His route into coaching also included a television quiz show in Lithuania, where he won money that helped support his coaching education in England. However, he said that anecdote should not overshadow the years of work behind his career.

"People give too much significance to it," said Dambrauskas.

He described the experience as one small part of a much longer professional journey.

"It was a game show, a little bit of money, but nothing more," said Dambrauskas.

He credited a combination of hard work, people and life experiences with helping him reach the Champions League.

"It was many years, a lot of hard work, a lot of people, a lot of different situations, different factors and different circumstances that happened in my life and brought me here to the Champions League," said Dambrauskas.

Dambrauskas said motivating players for major European fixtures was relatively straightforward because competing against prominent clubs is a shared ambition among professionals.

"I think this is the easiest part of preparation because every player and every coach and every member of technical staff dreams of playing in those types of games," said Dambrauskas.

He said the central challenge was balancing ambition with the need to produce competitive performances.

"Everybody wants to play in the biggest stadiums and against the biggest teams. So in terms of mental preparation or professionalism, there is absolutely not a problem," said Dambrauskas.

He added that Sabah needed to demonstrate its ability on the field while pursuing a positive result.

"I think it's about finding the balance between competing on the pitch, showing that we can play and getting a result," said Dambrauskas.

Before the Slavia Prague fixture, the manager said the team had identified the errors from its opening match and intended to make corrections.

"We were not very successful in the first game, but we know exactly the mistakes that we made and we will try to improve before the next game," said Dambrauskas.

Travel is another significant consideration for Sabah. According to Arab News, the club expects to cover approximately 34,000 kilometers on round trips for its four away fixtures during the league phase.

Dambrauskas said the distances involved would make the European schedule particularly demanding.

"As far as I know, we have the longest travelling this season in Europe," said Dambrauskas.

He explained that the projected distance for away matches alone was approximately 17,000 kilometers each way.

"Somebody calculated that we need to go 17,000 km for the away games. So 17,000 one way and 17,000 to come back," said Dambrauskas.

Slavia Prague coach Jindrich Trpisovsky, meanwhile, compared Sabah's playing style with Barcelona despite the Azerbaijani team's opening defeat. According to Around Prague, he highlighted Sabah's possession-based approach, attacking movement and preference for individual dribbling.

Trpisovsky described the club's rapid rise as an example of how football organizations can build their history from the beginning.

"Some play for a club with history, others build something from scratch. The Champions League is a privilege that people sometimes wait years for," said Trpisovsky.

The Czech coach considered Slavia the more experienced side but cautioned against underestimating an opponent with a less established European reputation. He also pointed to the importance of preparation ahead of the match in Baku.

Slavia defender Tomas Vlcek similarly warned that the fixture would require careful preparation despite Sabah's position as a newcomer to the competition.

"We expect nothing simple, and everything depends on our preparation," said Vlcek.

According to Around Prague, between 450 and 500 Slavia supporters were expected in the away section at Baku Olympic Stadium, which has a capacity of 69,870. Approximately 40,000 spectators were expected to attend the match at the venue, which opened in 2015 and hosted the 2019 Europa League final.