Sabah vs Slavia Prague 13 October 2026 Prediction

Sabah host Slavia Prague in Baku for their first Champions League league-phase home game. Slavia have more European experience, but Sabah won all four of their home qualifiers to reach this stage.

Sabah: Strong at Home in Qualifying

Sabah have reached the Champions League league phase for the first time, becoming the second Azerbaijani club to do so after Qarabag. Their playoff tie against Hapoel Be'er Sheva was close. After losing the first leg 2-1, Sabah forced extra time with Mutallimov's 94th-minute goal in the return leg. They scored twice more to win 5-2.

Sabah then lost their league-phase opener 4-0 to Manchester United. They took 11 shots but put none on target. Their domestic form has been much better: 16 points from six league games, with five wins, one draw and a 14-1 goal difference. Sabah won all four of their home qualifiers and will play their first league-phase home game at Baku Olympic Stadium. Simic and Mickels have scored six and four goals, respectively, in the club's European campaign, including qualifying.

Aliyev remains out following hamstring tendon surgery. Solve, who missed the last league game, is questionable.

Slavia Prague: Four Straight Domestic Wins

Slavia Prague opened the Champions League league phase with a 3-2 loss to Lens. Despite playing a man down, Slavia twice took the lead through Sturm's two goals before conceding twice in stoppage time. Jindrich Trpisovsky's side have since won four straight domestic games, beating Teplice 2-0, Viktoria Plzen 2-1 and Zlin 1-0 in the Czech First League, as well as Varnsdorf 5-1 in the Czech Cup.

Slavia will travel to Baku without the injured Chaloupek, Kachor and Ogbu. Konecny is suspended after his red card against Lens. Uanda, Schranz, Pitak, Jurasek and Kubiak are also questionable. Sturm was rested ahead of this match and could return to the starting lineup. The Slovenian has three goals and three assists in 10 appearances across all competitions this season.

Sabah vs Slavia Prague Predicted Lineup

Sabah (4-2-3-1): Pokatilov – Zedadka, Dashdamirov, McCarthy, Puchacz – Lepinjica, Rakhmonaliyev – Parris, Simic, Nwachukwu – Mickels

Unavailable / questionable: Aliyev (injury), Solve (questionable)

Manager: Valdas Dambrauskas

Slavia Prague (3-4-2-1): Markovic – Holes, Vlcek, Zima – Isife, Sadilek, Novak, Suleiman – Provod, Sturm – Chory

Unavailable / questionable: Chaloupek, Ogbu, Kachor (injuries); Konecny (suspension); Uanda, Schranz, Pitak, Jurasek, Kubiak (questionable)

Manager: Jindrich Trpisovsky

Referee: Sebastian Gishamer (Austria)

Gishamer has averaged 3.28 yellow cards per game across all competitions this season and has not sent anyone off. He has awarded three penalties in seven matches.

Sabah vs Slavia Prague Prediction: Sabah to Win at 3.64

Main pick: Sabah won all four home games in Champions League qualifying, beating The New Saints 2-0, KuPS 1-0, AGF Aarhus 4-0 and Hapoel Be'er Sheva 5-2 after extra time. Slavia, the reigning Czech champions, are a stronger opponent, but their absences could make this trip difficult. Sabah or draw is a more cautious option at 1.86. The main selection is Sabah to win at 3.64.

Goals pick: Sabah have scored 20 regulation-time goals in seven home games this season, and each of their last three home games featured at least four goals. Slavia have scored 33 goals in 12 games across all competitions, while four of their last eight matches produced at least four goals. With Slavia also short of defensive options, the pick is over 3.5 goals at 2.53.