Azerbaijani sensation heads for a new milestone: prediction for Hapoel Be'er Sheva vs Sabah Masazyr
Sabah FK
The first leg of the Champions League playoff qualification round between Hapoel Be'er Sheva and Sabah will take place on August 19, 2026, in Bucharest at the Rapid Stadium. The Israeli side has already knocked out Vikingur and Crvena Zvezda, while the Azerbaijani champions continue their impressive European run after victories over TNS, KuPS, and Aarhus.
Hapoel Be'er Sheva: results come, but performance yet to convince
The season has started off on a difficult note for Hapoel. The team lost 1-3 to Maccabi Tel Aviv in the Israeli Super Cup, barely scraped past Vikingur, and in the previous round managed to eliminate the much more illustrious Crvena Zvezda.
Ran Kozhok is unlikely to make major changes to his line-up after the successful clash with the Serbs. Miguel Vitor and Itay Rotman should remain at the heart of the defense, Pedro Amador has secured the left side, and Eliel Peretz has been filling the midfield gap left by Kings Kangwa’s departure.
Sabah Masazyr: attack leading the charge
Sabah keeps building momentum. After a stunning 4-0 thrashing of Aarhus, Valdas Dambrauskas’s team opened the Azerbaijani league season with a 2-0 win over Kapaz, and the coach took the opportunity to rotate his squad significantly in that domestic fixture.
The main man up front remains Veljko Simic, who has already netted five goals in six European matches. Overall, Sabah have scored 12 times in six Champions League qualifiers, capitalizing on long balls, aerial duels, and set pieces.
Match facts
- Sabah have scored 12 goals in six Champions League qualification matches.
- Veljko Simic has found the net five times in six European outings.
- Hapoel have played their so-called home matches on neutral ground before, but this is their first game in Bucharest.
The visitors’ bold attack can make the difference: prediction for Hapoel Be'er Sheva vs Sabah Masazyr
Hapoel showed real character against Crvena Zvezda, but in terms of football quality, they don’t look like clear favorites just yet. Another factor is the lack of a familiar home ground and the new atmosphere in Bucharest.
Sabah are playing with confidence and scoring freely, heading into this clash on the back of a string of impressive results. If Dambrauskas’s men maintain their current clinical edge, they have every chance of snatching a narrow victory on the road.
