Viking vs Sabah Masazyr: Preview
We have the predictions for the Viking vs Sabah Masazyr match in the fourth round of the 2026/27 Champions League group stage. The Norwegian champion is just one point behind its competitors after three Champions League rounds. The visit from the best Azerbaijani side could be an excellent opportunity to secure the first win.
Key Points
Viking
1. Viking lost the most important match in the Eliteserien
Last Friday, Viking ended its five‑game winning streak in the Norwegian league with a 2–3 loss, and the dismissal of both coaches concluded an emotional and brilliant match against the direct gold‑medal contender and another group‑stage participant, Bude‑Glimt. With five rounds left, the Norwegian league intrigue reached its peak, so Viking may have less time for European cup matches. The early rounds cost the Stavanger side nine goals against Stuttgart (1–3), Bayern (3–3) and Aston Villa (1–3).
2. Viking played with the full starting XI against Bude‑Glimt
In the unfortunate match against Bude‑Glimt, Morten Jensen had no reason to rest any player, so in the next game, with five days of preparation, any rotation, if it exists, will be punctual. In midfield, the young Tobias Moe could play, competing for the spot with the newly signed Henrik Björdal. In Viking’s squad there are five footballers, but all suffered injuries before the season started or before the Champions League group stage.
3. Even Bayern failed to open Viking’s stadium
The only home defeat for Viking in 2026 was in March against Oleksan in the Norwegian Cup. In the following 14 home matches, Viking never scored fewer than two goals, which allowed them to secure 13 wins and a draw with Bayern (3–3). In the decisive qualification match for the Champions League group stage against Dinamo Zagreb (3–1), Viking conceded three away goals. The intention to score heavily against Sabah is clear, being the only group‑stage participant with a lower ranking than Viking.
Sabah Masazyr
1. Sabah is not in very good form
Sabah enjoys its debut in the autumn phase of the Champions League, but also loses a lot: four against Manchester United (0–4) and two against Borussia (1–2). Even the home win against Slavia Prague was not clean (2–1). The need to regularly focus on European cups has negatively affected Sabah’s results in the Azerbaijani league: in the last four rounds, they lost points in matches against direct medal competitors Neftchi (0–0), Karabakh (0–0) and Turan (2–3).
2. Sabah lost a key attacking player to injury
The favorable squad situation at Sabah allowed Waldass Dambroukas to apply a slight rotation in the game against Turan: centre‑back Eden Macarty and the team’s top scorer Jo‑Lane Mikel rested in the second half. Additionally, defender Umalay Rahmonaliyev watched the match from the bench. However, outside the squad, Velko Simic was recently injured, having scored six of the eight goals this season in Champions League qualifiers. It is reported that the winger’s participation in the next match is unlikely.
3. Will Sabah suffer a fourth consecutive home loss in the Champions League?
Sabah’s historic advancement to the Champions League group stage was due to almost flawless home performances, while away, with the same 1–2 scoreline, they suffered defeats against Orkuse from Denmark and Hapoel Be’er Sheva from Israel, forcing them to play at a neutral venue in Bucharest. The four unanswered defeats turned into a visit to Old Trafford, where, on one hand, the opponent was an elite club, but Manchester United was in deep crisis and Sabah did not seize the opportunity.
Approximate line‑up lists
4‑3‑3
Estbø 28
Haugeng 25
Falsener 6
Stensnæs 5
Hegghiem 8
Bell 29
Moe 7
Askelidsen 10
Tripich 20
Kristiansen 22
Botheim 92
Pokatilov 80
Zedadka 3
Solleve 4
Macarty 27
Pukach 13
Leppinitsa 7
Rahmonaliyev 37
Kierros 11
Parris 21
Simic 20
Mikel 11
Trend betting
At least four goals in Viking’s last five matches and three in Sabah’s last five. TB(3,5) at 2.05.
Both teams scored in nine of Viking’s last ten matches. Eight of those nine, Viking won. Sabah lost two of its last three matches. In each of those two matches, both teams scored. OZ(да)+P1 at 2.52.
Prediction
Viking vs Sabah Masazyr 05.11.2026 00:00
This will be the encounter between the two teams with the lowest ranking in the Champions League group stage, but not the two worst teams in the tournament. Viking lost three goals in each of the three rounds, but managed to draw against Bayern at home. It was the only case in the last 14 home matches in all tournaments where Viking could not win. Viking traditionally scores many goals at home.
Sabah, unlike Viking, has only one victory in the tournament’s group stage, against Slavia Prague (2–1). However, Waldass Dambroukas’s team is in poor form. After the home defeat to Borussia (1–2) in the Champions League, the team earned only one point in two important matches against direct Azerbaijani league competitors, and in a five‑match stretch across all tournaments, Sabah won only twice. The last three away European cup matches gave the Azerbaijani champion defeats, and the next match will likely be no exception.
Prediction: 3–1
