Sabah at Old Trafford: The story begins today The Baku club takes on a global football giant

The Azerbaijani football champions will take to the pitch at Old Trafford today. For decades, even the most optimistic Azerbaijani football fans could hardly have dreamed of such a moment. But after Qarabağ became the first Azerbaijani football club to reach the league phase of the Champions League, we began to expect that something similar might happen in the near future. And now, that day has arrived.

At 11 pm Baku time, Azerbaijani club Sabah will step onto the pitch at one of the world’s most iconic stadiums to face one of the greatest clubs in world football — Manchester United. Founded in the same year that Qarabağ first played in the Champions League group stage and, incidentally, made their debut against English side Chelsea, Sabah will face a team whose history dates back to the 19th century — to 1878.

The club, making its first-ever trip to the United Kingdom, will face a side for whom this match will be their 300th in Europe’s premier club competition. Considering that Qarabağ’s first match in England ended in a 6–0 defeat to Chelsea, it is clear just how formidable a challenge awaits Sabah today. But that is what makes football so beautiful: history and statistics are left behind once the teams step onto the pitch. Everything is decided during the match itself.

I sincerely hope that today at Old Trafford we will see a true Baku team — footballers from the proud capital settlement of Masazır, ready to fight until the very last second. That is exactly how Sabah have played on their journey to the Champions League proper, overcoming obstacle after obstacle with growing confidence and drawing closer not only to a match against Manchester United, but also to encounters with Barcelona, Napoli and other opponents whom the team will face in this “group of death”.

It can be assumed that the hosts will not field their strongest starting XI. But hold on a moment: Manchester United are Manchester United, and any player included in the squad is capable of causing problems for the opposition and putting on a real show at Old Trafford. That includes 31-year-old Luke Shaw, who will surely be eager to prove that he deserves a place in the starting line-up.

But Sabah have plenty to offer in response — self-belief, character, a determination to fight until the very end and, above all, no fear of the opposition’s reputation. These qualities could prove to be our team’s greatest weapons today.

If any of our players feel nervous when they come out for the pre-match warm-up and see Bruno Fernandes, Lisandro Martínez or Benjamin Šeško, that is perfectly normal. But once the referee blows the opening whistle, all of that must be left off the pitch. There will be no famous names or titles here — just two teams and 90 minutes of football.

Moreover, the current Manchester United side is far from consistent, and Sabah can certainly take advantage of that. Our team must play bravely, stay organised and make the most of every opportunity.

And most importantly, Sabah’s players should understand that their debut at Old Trafford could open up entirely new opportunities for them. It is quite possible that this evening will be the first step towards an even greater football dream for some of them — returning to this arena one day in a Manchester United shirt. Why not?

A great deal is genuinely in the hands of the Baku club’s players this evening. They have already made history by reaching the Champions League group stage for the first time in the club’s history. Now all that remains is to do everything possible to ensure that this evening will be remembered not only by the players themselves, but by Azerbaijani football as a whole.

By Vugar Vugarli, exclusively for Caliber.Az