Tonight, Sabah will face Levski Sofia of Bulgaria in the first leg of the UEFA Conference League third qualifying round. It’s fair to say that Sabah has drawn its toughest opponent in this stage.
The Sofia-based club, a 26-time national champion and 26-time Bulgarian Cup winner, has also managed to reach the group stage of the UEFA Champions League. Since the 1960s, Levski has been a regular participant in European competitions. Many members of Bulgaria’s golden generation from the 1990s were also products of Levski’s academy.
So far, Levski has faced an Azerbaijani club only once — in the 2009/2010 Champions League third qualifying round, where they defeated FC Baku (2:0 and 0:0).
Levski traditionally plays dynamic and attacking football. Against weaker or less established opponents, they usually adopt an aggressive attacking approach, and considering that Sabah is relatively unknown in European football, it is expected that the Sofia side will use the same tactics in this match. Most likely, they will aim to play at a high tempo against Sabah.
In truth, Sabah is capable of competing with today’s Levski. However, the issue is that Sabah has yet to fully show its potential — neither in the previous domestic season nor in their current European campaign.
🕙 22:00 – Levski vs Sabah
Referee: Duje Strukan (Croatia)
Stadium: Georgi Asparuhov Stadium, Sofia