Conference League Preview: FK Sabah -v- St Patrick’s Athletic

Jake Mulraney starred against Sabah last week at Tallaght Stadium

Jake Mulraney starred against Sabah last week at Tallaght Stadium Credit: Matthew Lysaght (ETPhotos)

St Patrick’s Athletic have a chance to reach the playoff round of the Conference League when they face FK Sabah on Thursday evening (kick-off is at 5pm Irish Time).

The Saints lead the tie 1-0 from the first-leg and know a draw will see them through.

With €900,000 already banked in their European run, progression would see them guaranteed €1.275 million. 

They could earn up to €3.1 million if they reach the group stages with a playoff against the winners of the tie between Iberia 1999 of Georgia and Istanbul Basakehir on the line. 

The Turks lead that tie 1-0 from the first-leg and should progress at home in the second-leg.

The game is available to view on Solidsport at a cost of  €10 via the link here.

FK SABAH

Sabah FK are an Azerbaijani football club who play in the Azerbaijan Premier League. 

Their base is in the Masazir region - which is only 25 km from Baku. 

Formed in 2017, the club have enjoyed a rapid rise and qualified for the Conference League by finishing third in their league last term, 25 points behind runaway winners Qarabag.



In this season’s competition, they were drawn against Israeli club Maccabi Haifa in the second qualifying round and won the first leg 3-0 in Israel.

The second leg was a dramatic affair with Haifa winning 6-3 in a nine-goal thriller, only to lose the penalty shoot-out by 3-2.

Their squad is made up primarily of natives but they do have a smattering of foreign imports including winger Joy-Lance Michels (Germany), defender Jon Irazabal Iraurgui (Spain), and striker Njegoš Kupusović (Serbia).

Their team is captained by a native, Elvin Camalov, who has 85 club appearances in his three years in Masazir and who has also 10 caps for the Azerbaijan national team.

ST PATRICK’S ATHLETIC 

Boss Stephen Kenny reckons his St Patrick’s Athletic side face a different challenge against Sabah on Thursday evening in their third qualifying round clash.



The Saints take a 1-0 lead to the outskirts of Baku after missing a number of opportunities to stretch their advantage in last week’s first-leg.

“It will be a different game over here for sure,” Kenny said, as quoted by the Irish Independent. “We’re going into a tough arena and we have to make sure we play to the level we know we can and back ourselves to carry an attacking threat and try and score.

“I feel Sabah will have more than they showed in the first leg and we’ll face different challenges. We have to be tactically astute and be aware of different things that could open up as the game develops.

“But we have pace in our own attack and we must look to carry the attacking threat we have and utilise it by creating goal-scoring chances.”

Striker Cian Kavanagh is set to miss out for the Athletic, with teenager Michael Noonan, 16, called up to the first-team squad in his absence.

Referee: Marcel Birsan (Romania).

 

PREDICTION

FK Sabah 1-1 St Patrick’s Athletic

 

FK Sabah

Injured: N/A.

Doubtful: N/A. 

Suspended: Ivan Lepinjica.

 

St Patrick’s Athletic

Injured: Cian Kavanagh.

Doubtful: None.

Suspended: None.

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