Man Utd vs Sabah: anniversary match and goal-predicting statistics

2026-09-10 13:17 © AP

Valdas Dambrauskas's team, Azerbaijan's "Sabah," is preparing for one of the most significant matches in its history.

In the first round of the UEFA Champions League, the Azerbaijanis will face the prestigious "Manchester United" at the legendary "Old Trafford" stadium.

As reported by uefa.com, the experience of both teams in the strongest European club competition is simply unparalleled.

"Man Utd" will participate in the Champions League for the 26th time, while Azerbaijan's club is taking its first steps.

"Old Trafford" stadium – a milestone match

"Man Utd" returns to the Champions League after a three-year break. The team's last performance in the 2023–2024 season was not successful – competing in a group with Munich’s "Bayern," "Copenhagen," and Istanbul's "Galatasaray," the English club finished last.

In the 2025–2026 season, the "Red Devils" did not participate in UEFA competitions at all. This was the first such case since the 2014–2015 season and only the second time since the 1989–1990 season.

The duel with "Sabah" will be a milestone for Manchester – "Man Utd" will play its 300th match in the European Cup–Champions League competition. No other English club has reached such a number so far.

"Man United" can also boast an impressive streak of home matches in recent European tournaments. The "Red Devils" won six consecutive matches and scored as many as 20 goals during those games, averaging 3.33 goals per match.

Moreover, 48 matches involving the Manchester club in UEFA competitions in a row have not ended with a score of 0:0. The last time the Manchester club played without scoring was in February 2021 against San Sebastián's "Real Sociedad."

V. Dambrauskas and "Sabah" have already rewritten history

While "Man Utd" is one of the most famous names in European competitions, "Sabah" is still creating its history on the international stage.

This is only the fourth season for the Azerbaijan club in UEFA competitions.

"Sabah" made its debut in European competitions only in the 2023–2024 season, and until now, it had been eliminated three times in a row in the third qualifying round of the Conference League.

This time, V. Dambrauskas's team marched much further. The Champions League qualification began with the first round, where they eliminated the Welsh "The New Saints" with an aggregate score of 4:1.

In the second round, the Azerbaijan champions handled Finland's "KuPS" with a score of 3:0, and later they faced Denmark's "Aarhus." In the first away match, "Sabah" lost 1:2, but at home, they crushed the opponents 4:0.

In the decisive qualifying stage, V. Dambrauskas's team faced Beer Sheva's "Hapoel." After losing 1:2 away, "Sabah" triumphed 5:2 in the return match at home after extra time, securing a historic spot in the main stage of the Champions League.

Out of the eight matches of the Champions League this season, the Azerbaijan club has won six and kept a "clean sheet" four times.

A historic season for the Azerbaijan club

Recent years have been truly historic for "Sabah" club.

In the 2025–2026 season, the Masazyr team became the Azerbaijan champion for the first time, and in 2025, they contested the national cup for the first time.

Now "Sabah" has become just the second Azerbaijan club to reach the main stage of the Champions League. Until now, only the country's football flagship "Qarabag" had succeeded in this.

The team coached by V. Dambrauskas is also one of four debutants in the 2026–2027 season of the Champions League. For the first time in this stage, Italy's "Como," Austria's LASK, and Norway's "Viking" will compete as well.

However, "Sabah" had a unique stage for its debut – one of the world's most famous football stadiums and one of England's most titled clubs.

At "Old Trafford," two completely different European football histories will clash: "Manchester United," playing its 300th match in a prestigious tournament, and V. Dambrauskas's "Sabah," making its first appearance in the main stage of the Champions League.