Sabah FA face uphill task against Hapoel Beer Sheva in Champions League play-off return
Sabah FA welcome Hapoel Beer Sheva to the Tofiq Bahramov Stadium in Baku for the second leg of their UEFA Champions League play-off tie, with the Azerbaijani side needing to overturn a first-leg defeat to progress.
The two sides met on 19 August 2026, when Hapoel Beer Sheva won 2-1, giving the Israeli club the advantage heading into the return fixture.
Form guide
Hapoel Beer Sheva arrive in considerably better form, having won four of their last five matches, losing only once in that run. Sabah FA, by contrast, have managed two wins and two losses in their last four outings, a more mixed record heading into a match they must win to stay in the competition.
That contrast in recent results, four wins to two, adds further weight to the pressure on Sabah FA as they attempt to close the gap from the first leg.
What is at stake
With the first leg lost 2-1, Sabah FA must win by at least a two-goal margin, or by any scoreline that overturns the aggregate, to advance in the Champions League play-off round. Hapoel Beer Sheva, meanwhile, can afford a narrow defeat and still progress on aggregate.
The tie will be settled in Baku, with both sides aware that the outcome will decide which of them continues into the next stage of the competition.