- Sabah won the first leg 2-0 and will look to continue that momentum in Wales
- The New Saints have won 3 of their last 5 matches (D0, L2)
- Sabah's last 2 wins were 2-0 and 2-1
Sabah to continue their Champions League adventure
Sabah FK travel to Wales as the clear favourites to defeat The New Saints FC and edge the UEFA Champions League Qualification 2026 tie. The visitors have already beaten TNS 2-0 in the first-leg of the tie, and they should get the job done at Park Hall Stadium on Tuesday.
The odds reflect this, of course, with Sabah the favourites at 27/50 and TNS the 381/100 long shots with the draw priced at 17/5. However, the draw does have appeal here as Sabah may sit back and ride the 2-0 cushion, although that is unlikely for the Azeri side.
The game will be a fascinating battle in terms of identity as Craig Harrison has made The New Saints FC compact, organised and dangerous on the break since taking over in August 2022. Conversely, Valdas Dambrauskas has instilled a front-foot, possession-based identity onto Sabah FK in his short time at the club since July 2025.
TNS can’t repeat the trick
This was the pair's first competitive meeting but it looked as though Sabah are the sharper of the two at present, keeping TNS at bay with an efficient performance as they opened the scoring twice without reply. It will take a far more clinical performance for TNS to turn the tide here, especially with Sabah looking far more likely to make things happen.
TNS have won three and lost one of their four home games across all competitions this season, while they have won eight and lost two of their ten games overall, including the defeat to Sabah yesterday. Sabah are perfect away across all competitions (W4), scoring ten goals at an average of 2.5 per away game this term (W4).
Going against the grain
Backing the away side at short odds isn't overly appealing for this clash, but we are going against the grain to a certain extent by taking them to win and to be over 1.5 goals in the game. This market matches Sabah's recent games and the general lean of the market towards goals.
Sabah have won their last two games, beating TNS 2-0 in the last round of the UEFA Champions League Qualification 2026 and then beating PFK Turan Tovuz 2-1 away from home in their season opener in the Azerbaijan Premier League 2025/2026. Across all competitions, Sabah have won seven, drawn one and lost two of their last ten games.
Daniel Williams has scored three of The New Saints' last seven goals in their last five competitive games, so he is their main threat in the box. Kaheem Parris has scored one goal in one appearance in the UEFA Champions League Qualification 2026, so he looks sharp at the sharp end.
Sabah's wide overloads, high tempo and intense counter-press should keep TNS pinned back here, but the hosts will look to keep things compact and spring the quick vertical transitions. This is a set up for Sabah to control the territory and edge a competitive tie, just as they did with a 2-0 first-leg win.
