Sabah's historic qualification for the UEFA Champions League league phase continues to attract attention across European football.
As reported by İdman.Biz, following the draw in Monaco, representatives of the Azerbaijani champions' future opponents and the media in their respective countries began assessing the upcoming fixtures. Reactions to the tournament debutants have varied considerably - from curiosity and caution to confidence that facing the Baku club will be one of the easiest assignments.
Sabah will play eight matches in the Champions League league phase. Valdas Dambrauskas' side will host Spain's Barcelona, Borussia Dortmund, Italy's Napoli and Slavia Prague, while their away fixtures will be against Arsenal, Manchester United, Villarreal and Norway's Viking.
One of the most detailed reactions came from Borussia Dortmund, who will travel to Baku. The German club's managing director Lars Ricken specifically mentioned Sabah, noting that Dortmund have never previously faced the Azerbaijani side.
"With AEK and Sabah FK, we have two teams that we have never played against before. That has its own appeal," Ricken said.
Borussia head coach Niko Kovac, meanwhile, spoke about all eight opponents and stressed that his team "will take every one of them very seriously". Dortmund's official website also highlighted the Sabah fixture, describing the trip to Baku as a "long journey to the Caspian Sea".
Sabah have generated considerable interest in Spain as well, with the Azerbaijani champions set to face both Barcelona and Villarreal.
Mundo Deportivo devoted a separate article to the Baku club under the headline: "Barca will play in Azerbaijan for the first time against the incredible Sabah FK, a club only nine years old."
The newspaper focused on Sabah's remarkable story since their foundation in 2017 and Valdas Dambrauskas' dramatic journey through Champions League qualifying. Particular attention was paid to the second leg against Hapoel Beer-Sheva, when Sabah rescued the tie in the closing seconds of regulation time before completing the comeback in extra time.
Another leading Spanish newspaper, AS, also singled out Sabah among Barcelona's opponents. It described the Baku side as the "revelation of the tournament", comparing their story with Kazakhstan's Kairat from the previous season.
The newspaper noted that the emergence of a nine-year-old club in the Champions League had once again brought Azerbaijan into the European football spotlight, while describing Sabah's qualification as the result of a "colossal comeback" against Hapoel.
In its coverage of Villarreal's opponents, AS described Sabah as an Azerbaijani debutant enjoying a "meteoric rise". Villarreal president Fernando Roig, speaking after the draw, highlighted the overall quality of his team's opponents and stressed the need to learn from the club's previous unsuccessful Champions League campaign.
The most dismissive assessment of Sabah so far, however, has come from Italy.
Il Fatto Quotidiano, analysing Napoli's draw, directly described the Azerbaijani champions as the "Cinderella" of the competition. According to the publication, once Napoli's matches against the English giants are taken out of the equation, the Italian champions have been handed a relatively favourable schedule.
The Italian outlet went even further by describing Napoli's trip to face Sabah as their "easiest match" of the league phase.
At the same time, another article from the publication explored Sabah's sensational route to the competition in detail, calling the nine-year-old club's story a "fairy tale" and highlighting their extraordinary comeback against Hapoel.
Sky Sport Italia also considers the draw favourable for Napoli. The Italian broadcaster described the opponents drawn from Pot 4 as a positive outcome for Massimiliano Allegri's side, with Napoli set to host Viking and travel to Baku to face Champions League debutants Sabah.
Even before the league phase begins, therefore, perceptions of the Azerbaijani champions differ noticeably from country to country.
In Germany, the focus is on an entirely new opponent and an unusual long-distance trip. The Spanish media are primarily fascinated by the speed of Sabah's journey from their foundation to the Champions League. In Italy, however, the Baku side are being taken considerably less seriously and are viewed as one of the most favourable opponents in the competition.
Representatives of Arsenal, Manchester United, Barcelona, Slavia Prague and Viking have yet to comment publicly and specifically on Sabah following the draw, limiting themselves to general assessments of their opponents and the upcoming league phase.
