Slavia Prague arrived in Baku ahead of their UEFA Champions League league-phase Matchday 2 encounter against Sabah, scheduled for October 13 at the Baku Olympic Stadium.
As reported by İdman.Biz, the upcoming match carries special significance for several members of the Czech club. Some already know what it takes to defeat Sabah on their home ground, while others have vivid memories of facing Qarabag. However, the Prague side head into their next European challenge with several injury and squad concerns.
One of the most intriguing stories involves Slavia's Slovenian midfielder Daniel Sturm, who has already faced the Azerbaijani club in European competition.
On July 10, 2025, Sturm represented Slovenian side Celje in the first leg of their UEFA Europa League qualifying tie against Sabah. The match in Baku ended in a dramatic 3-2 away victory, despite the Azerbaijani team taking the lead twice.
Sturm played a direct role in Celje's opening goal, providing an assist for Franko Kovacevic. The Slovenian visitors then secured victory in stoppage time through Darko Hrka's decisive strike.
The return leg ended in a 3-3 draw, allowing Celje to progress to the next round.
Sturm now returns to Baku wearing a different club's shirt, having already established himself as one of Slavia's standout performers at the beginning of this Champions League campaign.
The Slovenian scored both of Slavia's goals in their opening match against French side Lens, which ended in a 3-2 defeat.
His second goal, scored in the 88th minute, restored the Czech team's lead, but two stoppage-time goals from Lens left Slavia without even a point.
Before travelling to Azerbaijan, Sturm admitted that he remembered last year's victory over Sabah well and hoped to experience similar emotions again.
"I expect a difficult match, but we are going there to win. Sabah are certainly the team against whom we have the best chance of success. However, this is the Champions League, and you cannot underestimate anyone," the Slovenian told Slavia's official website.
Interestingly, Slavia's coaching staff deliberately rested Sturm ahead of the trip to Baku.
He did not feature in the club's latest Czech league match against Zlin, which ended in a 1-0 victory, having previously played four full matches for his national team.
Slavia head coach Jindrich Trpisovsky and his assistant Zdenek Houstecky also have experience of Azerbaijani football.
Exactly ten years ago, they visited Baku as members of Slovan Liberec's coaching staff.
On September 15, 2016, the Czech team faced Qarabag in the UEFA Europa League group stage, with the match ending in a 2-2 draw.
That encounter was particularly memorable for Jan Sykora's extraordinarily early goal, which put the visitors ahead within the opening seconds.
Milan Baros later restored Slovan's advantage, but Qarabag captain Rashad Sadygov rescued a point for the Azerbaijani side with a stoppage-time equalizer.
In the return fixture in Liberec, the Czech club recorded a convincing 3-0 victory over Qarabag.
Recalling his previous visit to Azerbaijan, Houstecky spoke positively about the football atmosphere in Baku.
"It's a pleasant environment. Football is very popular here, and there are many stadiums in the city. The only problem is the long journey. On the other hand, the warmer weather compared to Prague is an advantage," Trpisovsky's assistant explained.
Despite their strong performances in the Czech domestic championship, Slavia face a complicated personnel situation ahead of their match in Baku.
According to Czech media reports, the Prague club were without nine players for their latest league encounter against Zlin, which they won 1-0.
However, some absences, including Sturm's, were not injury-related but resulted from the need to recover following international duty.
One of the most significant setbacks concerns defender Stepan Chaloupek, who suffered a hamstring injury involving a muscle tear.
Head coach Jindrich Trpisovsky revealed that the preliminary recovery period is estimated at four to five weeks.
Young midfielder Pavel Kacor has also experienced injury problems after dislocating his shoulder. The exact timeframe for his return remains uncertain.
Nevertheless, Slavia's coaching staff hope to have more players available for the Champions League fixture.
Trpisovsky suggested that Oscar Kubiak and David Jurasek could return, potentially providing additional options when selecting the starting lineup.
Furthermore, Slavia will be unable to field defender Mikulas Konecny, who was sent off during the 3-2 defeat against Lens.
Under UEFA disciplinary regulations, a red card results in an automatic suspension for the following match.
Assistant coach Zdenek Houstecky acknowledged that the squad's physical condition is far from ideal.
"Our medical staff and physiotherapists are doing everything possible to prepare as many players as they can. On Tuesday, some of those who did not play against Zlin will definitely be on the pitch," he emphasized.
Another intriguing aspect of the upcoming encounter is Slavia's disappointing record in Europe's premier club competition.
The Prague side last won a match in the main stage of the UEFA Champions League back in 2007.
Since then, the Czech club have gone 20 matches in the competition's main phase without a single victory.
According to Czech outlet Sport.cz, this represents the longest active winless streak among Champions League clubs since 2013.
Their opening defeat against Lens was particularly painful, as Slavia twice took the lead before conceding two late goals and finishing empty-handed.
The Prague club now hope to end that prolonged run in Baku.
"I believe we will finally get three points. We will do everything possible to achieve that. We travelled to Baku with respect for our opponents, but we want to win every match. Hopefully, this time we will succeed," Houstecky stated.
For the Czech champions, therefore, the encounter with Sabah represents more than another Champions League challenge. It is also an opportunity to finally overcome a statistical burden that has followed the club for almost two decades.
The match at the Baku Olympic Stadium is scheduled to kick off at 20:45 Baku time.
