Manchester United begin their Champions League campaign on Thursday night at Old Trafford, facing Azerbaijani side Sabah FK.
Sabah won the Misli Premier League, the Azerbaijan top flight, last season. They secured their place in Europe’s elite club competition through the qualifying rounds.
Read on as we look at three Sabah players to look out for in the fixture.
Mickels is Sabah’s all-time leading goalscorer. He was Azerbaijan’s top-flight top scorer last season, scoring 19 goals in 25 games.
The Rwanda international has made a strong start to the season, chipping in with eight goals and one assist in 11 appearances.
His two-footedness, pace, dribbling and finishing make him a handful for defenders.
Puchacz is the visitors’ most creative outlet. The left-back was the only player to reach double figures for assists in the Azerbaijan Premier League last term.
The Polish defender has not been in great form in the league, but impressed during the qualifiers, registering five assists in eight matches.
He is not the strongest one-on-one defender, but relies heavily on his recovery pace when defending against explosive forwards.
Simic played a key role in Sabah’s success last season, and has enjoyed a brilliant start to the campaign.
The Serbian forward scored six goals and provided one assist in the qualifiers and has netted once in the league.
Simic has a strong eye for goal, aided by his ability to cut inside from the left. He is also a good dribbler and can carry the ball at pace, making him dangerous in transition.
Stats from Transfermarkt & Sofascore
