Man United vs Sabah: Champions League Preview, Team News, Possible Lineups and Score Prediction

Manchester United are set to kick off their 2026-27 Champions League campaign on Thursday night, aiming for a strong start against Azerbaijani newcomers Sabah at Old Trafford.

The match marks a significant return to Europe's elite competition for United after a three-season absence. For Sabah, it represents a historic debut at this prestigious level of European football.

After missing out on European football entirely in the 2025-26 season, Manchester United are back in the Champions League for their 26th campaign—an English record.

Their last appearance in 2023-24 ended in disappointment as they finished last in a group featuring Bayern Munich, Copenhagen, and Galatasaray. The pressure is now on head coach Michael Carrick to navigate the new league phase successfully, though a title run is considered a long shot.

The Red Devils enter this European fixture following a 2-2 draw with Everton in the Premier League. With just four points from their first three domestic matches, they currently sit 11th in the table, five points adrift of leaders Manchester City.

Historically, United are three-time European champions, with titles in 1968, 1999, and 2008. Their most recent knockout stage appearance was in 2021-22, where they were eliminated by Atletico Madrid in the round of 16.

This season's revamped format will see United also face Atletico Madrid, Como, Roma, Sporting Lisbon, RB Leipzig, Bayern Munich, and Villarreal in the league phase.

Sabah, meanwhile, have already navigated a grueling qualification journey to reach this stage. The reigning Azerbaijani champions began their Champions League quest in early July, playing eight matches and overcoming The New Saints, KuPS, Aarhus, and Hapoel Be'er Sheva to secure their spot.

They arrive at Old Trafford in formidable form, having thrashed Zira 5-0 in their last league outing and boasting a perfect record of nine points from three domestic games.

Managed by Valdas Dambrauskas, "The Owls" will look to exploit any vulnerabilities in a United side that has won only one of its last seven Champions League group stage matches. Sabah's impressive run in the qualifiers, which includes six wins and four clean sheets, will give them confidence as they make their league phase debut alongside fellow newcomers Como, LASK, and Viking.

Manchester United will be without several key players for their Champions League opener. Matthijs de Ligt (back), Manuel Ugarte (knee), Carlos Baleba (ankle), Amad Diallo (ankle), and Tom Heaton (hamstring) are all sidelined with injuries. Marcus Rashford is also a doubt after being substituted with a minor issue against Everton.

With the Manchester derby looming on Sunday, Carrick is expected to rotate his squad. Leny Yoro, Noussair Mazraoui, Andrey Santos, and Benjamin Sesko are all in contention for a start. Sesko, who scored off the bench against Everton, could be handed a place in the starting lineup.

In contrast, Sabah travel to Manchester with a fully-fit squad. Their attack will be led by the prolific Joy-Lance Mickels, who has already scored eight goals in 11 appearances this season. Veljko Simic, with seven goals to his name, and Kaheem Parris are also expected to feature in the visitors' starting XI.

Manchester United: Lammens; Dalot, Yoro, Martinez, Mazraoui; Santos, Mainoo; Mbeumo, Fernandes, Cunha; Sesko

Sabah: Pokatilov; Solvet, Dashdamirov, Puchacz, Zedadka; Rakhmonaliev, Isaev, Lepinjica, Parris; Mickels, Simic

Given Manchester United's recent defensive struggles, a clean sheet seems unlikely. However, their quality should be enough to secure a victory and get their Champions League campaign off to a winning start against the determined Azerbaijani side.