Sabah vs Levski Sofia

Sabah, in contrast to their upcoming adversaries, had yet to kick off their domestic league season. Consequently, following their pre-season preparations, they were plunged directly into the initial qualifying stage of the Europa League. The Azerbaijani club found themselves rather fortunate with their initial opponent, NK Celje. Head coach Valdas Dambrauskas’s squad encouraged the Slovenians to engage in an expansive, attacking style of play, which Celje readily embraced. The outcome was an astonishing 11 goals scored over two thrilling encounters. Ultimately, Celje progressed, largely due to their crucial away victory, with aggregate scores of 3-2 and 3-3 in the respective legs. Following their elimination from the Europa League, Sabah’s focus shifted to securing a place in the Conference League. The second round posed no significant challenge, as they comfortably overcame Petrocub twice, with scores of 2-0 and 4-1. However, their subsequent challenge was a clash with Levski Sofia, against whom they suffered a 0-1 away defeat. It became immediately apparent that when the Bulgarian side adopted a more closed-off, defensive approach, the Azerbaijani team struggled immensely.

Levski’s domestic league season commenced in spectacular fashion, as they secured victories in all four opening matches, boasting an impressive 11-2 aggregate scoreline. A fortunate fixture list certainly played a role, with three of these four encounters taking place on home soil, coupled with the relative strength of their adversaries: Montana (5-0), Septemvri (2-1), Slavia (2-0), and Spartak Varna (2-1). The Bulgarian side also embarked on their European journey in the Europa League, successfully navigating two preliminary rounds. While their first challenge was Hapoel Be’er Sheva, whom they only narrowly overcame via a penalty shootout (0-0, 1-1 aet, 3-1 pens), a much tougher test awaited them in the form of Braga. Surprisingly, they managed to hold Braga to a goalless draw at home (0-0), but in Portugal, they ultimately succumbed to a narrow yet painful 0-1 defeat. Upon their entry into the Conference League, Julio Velazquez’s squad, as previously noted, drew Sabah. In their initial home fixture, Levski secured a well-deserved victory, effectively nullifying their opponents’ attacking threats. However, it’s clear they ought to have capitalized on more of their ample scoring opportunities at home. Assessing Levski’s away form proves challenging, given they’ve only had three road games: a victory over Septemvri, a draw against Hapoel, and a defeat to the formidable Braga.