Sabah Achieved What Levski Can and Must Do Tonight

Levski is on the verge of their second appearance in the post-qualification phase of the Champions League. This comes on the eve of the 20th anniversary of the "Blues'" first group stage qualification in the 2006/2007 season. Now, they could become the first Bulgarian debutants in the main phase since the tournament's second stage transformed into its current format.

The Bulgarians could achieve this in a memorable way, one that would be significant not only for domestic football but also within the broader context of the Champions League. Two decades ago, Levski eliminated two opponents: Sioni from Georgia and Italian side Chievo. Now, they are on the brink of an achievement few European teams have managed: reaching the main phase after starting from the very first preliminary round. Since the introduction of a single main phase with 36 teams, replacing the eight groups of four, there has been one team each year that has accomplished something similar.

The first such instance was Slovan Bratislava from Slovakia, who, in the 2024/2025 campaign, successively eliminated Struga from North Macedonia, Celje from Slovenia, APOEL Nicosia from Cyprus, and Midtjylland from Denmark. In the main phase, Slovan finished in 35th place, second to last, without any points, matching Young Boys who finished last, but the Slovakians had a better goal difference.

Last season, Kazakhstan's Kairat was the pleasant surprise, reaching the main phase of the "rich man's tournament" after a grueling eight qualification matches. The Almaty team then successively eliminated the "blue" nightmare of the 90s, Olimpija Ljubljana, in the first preliminary round, and subsequently overcame KuPS from Finland, none other than the previous sensation Slovan Bratislava, and Scottish giants Celtic.

This season, unlike the two aforementioned teams, Levski has not registered a single defeat in their seven matches so far. If they qualify for the main phase now, they will do so with immense class. Our champions overcame Bosnian side Borac Banja Luka, Romanian Universitatea Craiova, and in the third qualification round, they eliminated Kairat, taking over the baton from last year's sensation in the competition. Levski is very likely to repeat Kairat's story from the previous season, when the Kazakh team stood up to Celtic's multi-million-dollar squad, pushing the tie to penalties after two 0-0 stalemates, where the islanders ultimately crumbled.

Once again, many had written off Levski before the first 90 minutes in Sofia, but the "Blues" fought back to secure a goalless draw against AEK at the National Stadium in Borisova Gradina a week ago. The Bulgarians even had their chances and might regret not having taken at least a one-goal lead against the Greeks. So, everything is in the hands, and more importantly, at the feet of our 27-time champions, who have shown tremendous growth and are now not only competing with much more expensive teams but at times even outperforming them on the pitch.

Nevertheless, it must be acknowledged that due to the playoff round scheduling, Sabah from Azerbaijan achieved what Levski is striving for a day earlier. The Azerbaijanis eliminated Israeli side Hapoel Be'er Sheva, and before that, they successively dealt with a team from the British Isles, TNS from Wales, Finnish KuPS, and Danish Aarhus.

Levski will not only be able to build upon this but also make a significant historical breakthrough in the new Champions League format. Until now, only one team has managed to navigate all four preliminary stages in a season, and now Levski will attempt to make this the first season with two teams achieving such a feat.

Everything will become clear around midnight, with the match kicking off at 10:00 PM Bulgarian time. Sportal.bg, of course, will bring you all the most interesting moments before, during, and after the match, and you will be able to follow the game's progress in real-time.