Sabah vs Hapoel Beer Sheva Prediction 25 August 2026
🔊 The second leg of the Sabah vs Hapoel Be'er Sheva tie in the Champions League play-off qualifying round. The Israeli side won the first leg by a single goal and travel to Azerbaijan with the advantage. Sabah, for their part, have already come back in a second leg during this qualifying campaign. Can they repeat what they did against Aarhus in front of their own fans, overturn the deficit against the Israelis and reach the league phase?
Head-to-Head
📊 The only previous meeting between these two sides took place a week earlier. Played on neutral ground in Romania, that match ended in favour of the nominal hosts from Beersheba (2-1). It is worth noting that the Israelis' dominance throughout was substantial across every measure: possession (67%), shots on target (18 to Sabah's 8), and xG (2.01 vs 0.60).
Head-to-head statistics Sabah - Hapoel Beer Sheva
Sabah Team Overview
The club is managed by Lithuanian coach Valdas Dambrauskas. Under his guidance, they won their first ever league title and are now pushing for a place in the Champions League league phase. Dambrauskas builds a modern, dominant style of play - the team is known for intense high pressing and quick transitions from defence to attack through the flanks.
Sabah have had an excellent start to the season, the first leg of this tie aside. In the Azerbaijani Premier League, they opened with a comfortable 2-0 win over Kapaz. In Champions League qualifying, they came through from the first round to reach the play-offs, beating Welsh side The New Saints (4-1 on aggregate), Finnish club KuPS (3-0) and Danish side Aarhus (5-2) with a remarkable comeback in front of their own fans.
Their biggest departure was Aaron Makouta, who joined Swiss club Basel this summer for a reported €2.7 million. Key arrivals include Tymoteusz Puchacz, Veljko Simić, Xander Severina and Junior Almeida.
Match Results: Sabah
Hapoel Beer Sheva Team Overview
Hapoel are managed by local coach Ran Kozuch, who favours balanced formations with an emphasis on positional play, controlled possession through midfield, and creating overloads on the flanks. Defensively, the side has been fairly disciplined, conceding very little throughout their European campaign.
Hapoel made a poor start domestically, losing the Super Cup to Maccabi Tel Aviv 3-1. They more than made up for it in the Champions League qualifying rounds, however, eliminating Icelandic side Víkingur 3-2 on aggregate before a somewhat surprising 3-0 win over Crvena Zvezda. One step now separates them from the league phase, and they go into this match with an advantage from the first leg.
The most significant departure of the summer was key central midfielder Kings Kangwa, sold to Greek side Panathinaikos for close to €4 million. The main arrivals have been João Victor, Niv Yehoshua, Marco Wolf and Jonas Maledé.
Match Results: Hapoel Beer Sheva
Latest news
Sabah
✅ The coaching staff have confirmed there are no significant injuries, with the squad at full strength.
Hapoel Beer Sheva
❌ The start of the season has been overshadowed by injuries to several key attacking players. Dan Biton - the team's star attacking midfielder - is sidelined, as is Brazilian newcomer João Victor.
⚽ Goals Prediction
The first leg has set up a compelling dynamic that will force the hosts to commit forward, which the visitors should be able to exploit with a couple of chances of their own. Hapoel have been prolific throughout their summer campaign, consistently scoring at least once both home and away. Sabah need to overturn the deficit and have a strong home record, with goals in the majority of their recent competitive matches. Here we recommend Both Teams to Score - Yes at 1.72*.
🚩 Corners Prediction
The first leg in Romania was a cautious, tight affair with very few corners. With a place in the Champions League group stage on the line, the stakes are as high as they get, and neither side is likely to open up prematurely. The Azerbaijanis will probably dominate in terms of wide play, but we are not expecting a high corner count in this match and suggest backing Total Corners - Under 9.5 at 1.66*.
🟨 Yellow Cards Prediction
The second leg will be refereed by a Romanian crew led by Istvan Kovacs. Kovacs is known for his no-nonsense approach: he clamps down quickly on dissent, time-wasting and cynical fouls. Since returning from the World Cup, he has taken charge of five matches, averaging five bookings per game. Sabah need a result and will press high, while Hapoel, protecting a narrow lead, will look to slow the game down through petty fouls, time-wasting and breaking up play. We think the best option here is Total Yellow Cards - Over 4.5.
*Odds are indicative and may vary depending on the bookmaker.
⭐️ Editor's Pick
Hapoel have injury problems on the flanks and in central defence. Sabah need a win to progress, and home advantage should work in their favour. For these reasons, it makes sense to expect Sabah to take control of the ball from the first minute and push for an early goal. If Sabah score first, the game effectively resets, and if Hapoel catch the hosts on the counter, the Azerbaijani side will have to open up even further. The match should stay tense, and if either team needs to chase the game, managers will take maximum risk by throwing on extra forwards. We're backing Total Goals - Over 2.5. Predicted score: 2-1.
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Betting Tips: Sabah - Hapoel Beer Sheva
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