Sabah face Barcelona, Arsenal and Manchester United in Champions League League Phase

Aden McCarthy’s Sabah FK have been drawn against some of European football’s biggest clubs in the League Phase of the UEFA Champions League, including FC Barcelona, Arsenal and Manchester United.

The Azerbaijani champions secured their place in the competition on Tuesday by defeating Israeli side Hapoel Be’er Sheva in their play-off tie. Thursday’s draw has now confirmed the scale of the challenge facing McCarthy and his Sabah team-mates.

Sabah FK will also meet Borussia Dortmund, Villarreal, Napoli, Slavia Praha and Viking during the League Phase.

The draw means McCarthy will be South Africa’s only representative in this season’s UEFA Champions League campaign. His involvement with Sabah gives him the opportunity to face a group of clubs with significant European reputations, with the Azerbaijani champions scheduled to play eight different opponents in the new League Phase format.

Sabah were placed in Pot 4 for the draw because of their ranking. Under the competition’s revised structure, however, teams from the lower pot can still be paired with some of the strongest sides in Europe.

That system has produced a demanding set of fixtures for the Azerbaijani champions. FC Barcelona, Arsenal and Manchester United are among the most prominent names in Sabah’s schedule, while Borussia Dortmund, Villarreal and Napoli add further weight to the club’s League Phase programme.

Slavia Praha and Viking complete the list of opponents drawn against Sabah.

Sabah’s successful play-off against Hapoel Be’er Sheva was enough to take the club into the League Phase, but the Thursday draw has provided a clear indication of the level they will encounter in the competition proper. Their qualification also ensures that McCarthy will be South Africa’s sole player represented in this season’s Champions League campaign.

The new format has opened the possibility of difficult fixtures for every club involved, regardless of its position in the draw pots. Sabah’s Pot 4 status therefore did not prevent them from being matched with elite opposition, and McCarthy’s side will now prepare to face eight clubs from across the League Phase field.

The confirmed opponents are:

– FC Barcelona – Arsenal – Borussia Dortmund – Manchester United – Villarreal – Napoli – Slavia Praha – Viking