H. Be’er Sheva vs. Sabah – News and Probable Lineups

In the Champions League playoff round, Hapoel Be’er Sheva is set to face Sabah, with their first leg occurring on Wednesday evening in Bucharest, Romania.

Sabah made it through the last round by defeating Aarhus, while Hapoel Be’er Sheva triumphed over Red Star, advancing closer to their goal of reaching the league phase.

Match overview

Hapoel Be’er Sheva has contested four matches in the 2026-27 Champions League, defeating both Vikingur Reykjavik and Red Star to earn their spot in the playoff round.

In their second qualifying round face-off, the Israeli team fell 2-1 to Vikingur in the first leg, but they responded with a 2-0 win in the return fixture, securing their progression.

Ran Kojok’s squad, who managed a 3-0 aggregate win over Red Star in the previous round, is now just two matches away from qualifying for the league stage, which would mark their first appearance at that level.

Therefore, the significance of this tie is immense for Hapoel Be’er Sheva, as they aim for a favorable first-leg result before the return meeting next week.

The Israeli club finished atop their domestic league last season, marking their first Premier League title since 2017-18 and their sixth overall success in the top division.

On the other hand, Sabah has impressively participated in six matches during the 2026-27 Champions League campaign, defeating TNS, KuPS, and Aarhus to reach the playoff stage.

The Azerbaijani team initially lost 2-1 in the first leg of their third qualifying round, but they bounced back with a 4-0 win in the second leg, achieving a remarkable 6-1 aggregate success.

Sabah has yet to secure a spot in the Champions League league stage, making this two-legged encounter a critical moment in their pursuit of history.

Valdas Dambrauskas’ side started their new Azerbaijani Premier League season with a 2-0 victory against Kapaz on Saturday, having won six out of their seven matches across all competitions thus far in the 2026-27 campaign.

Hapoel Be’er Sheva Champions League form:

Hapoel Be’er Sheva form (all competitions):

Sabah form (all competitions):

Team News

Zahi Ahmed has been performing well for Hapoel Be’er Sheva this season, with two goals in four appearances, and he is expected to continue playing in the attacking third.

Igor Zlatanovic is also set to occupy a position at centre-forward.

However, Joao Victor and Dan Biton are both ruled out of Wednesday’s first leg due to injuries.

For Sabah, Khayal Aliyev will miss the match through injury, but the rest of the squad is in good condition for the fixture.

Veljko Simic has been in stellar form this season, finding the net five times in six appearances, and the 31-year-old is anticipated to feature on the left flank.

Additionally, Joy-Lance Mickels, who has scored four goals in all competitions at the start of the season, is likely to be in a wide position.

Hapoel Be’er Sheva probable starting XI:

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

Sabah probable starting XI:

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

This match promises to be quite intriguing, and expectations are for it to be closely contested, with the possibility of a draw in the first leg of the playoff.