Pre-Match Report
Kovac sets the tone: “We’re the clear favorites here”
The scenario
Three away games in seven days: At the start of this busy week, the team lost 0-1 to Bodø/Glimt in Norway on Matchday 2 of the UEFA Champions League. The team returned from their Bundesliga match at Union Berlin with a 0-0 draw. Now they’re looking to pick up points against Sabah FC in the Champions League and get back on track. “We have our plays in the final third to create danger. We haven’t been able to execute them in the last two games, which is why we haven’t scored,” explains BVB coach Niko Kovac. “If we want to win, we have to score goals. We need to execute those plays. We have to play much faster, with more precision, and take more shots. Tomorrow we have to shoot on goal more often to maybe force a goal.”
With one win (3–2 in their home opener against Villarreal) and one loss (to Bodø), the team has a balanced record after two matchdays and sits in 18th place in the league standings.
Squad
It’s not yet clear who will play on Tuesday. “We’ll have to see how the lads are doing. Today is the second day after the game, and we had a five-hour flight,” said Kovac. “Today we’ll check in with them a bit and see how one or the other player is feeling. After all, it’s also about bringing in fresh legs.” Konstantinos Karetsas suffered a ligament injury in the match against Union and is out, as are the long-term injured players Emre Can and Giannis Konstantelias (both with torn cruciate ligaments). All other players were on the flight and are ready to play
Opponent
“We’re taking the opponent seriously, especially since they won 2-0 here against Prague in their last game,” said Kovac. “We have to be sharp, and I hope that as the game goes on, we can show the qualities we undoubtedly possess. We’re the clear favorites here, and we want to—and must—win this game.”
Sabah lost their first match of the current league phase 0–4 at Manchester United. On the second matchday, the team defeated Slavia Prague 2–0 at home and currently sits in 22nd place in the standings. Over the weekend, they secured a 4–0 away victory in the national league, where Sabah leads the standings.
The club from Masazır, which is playing the match in Baku, was founded in 2017 and has been competing in Azerbaijan’s top league since 2018. In 2026, the team won the national championship for the first time. With only nine years of existence, the club broke the record as the youngest club ever to qualify for the Champions League group stage (FK Krasnodar previously held this record at 12 years).
Third Away Match
This marks the third time BVB has played a match in Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan in the Near East. So far, BVB’s away games on the western shore of the Caspian Sea—about 3,450 kilometers as the crow flies from Westphalia—have been successful. In the UEFA Europa League playoffs on August 26, 2010, they secured a 1-0 victory over Qarabagh Agdam. The match was played at the Tofiq Bəhramov Stadium. Five years later, on October 22, 2015, Borussia defeated Qäbälä FK 3–1 in the UEFA Europa League. The match was played here at the Bakcell Arena. Now BVB is set to play its third match in Baku, this time at the Olympic Stadium.
Christina Reinke