Hapoel Beer Sheva are one result away from a night the club has never had: a place in the Champions League league phase. All that stands between them and history is a draw in Baku against Sabah, and ahead of the second leg ONE turned to a man who knows the Azerbaijani side intimately for a read on how to get it.

Filip Ivanović, the Serbian forward who spent three seasons at Sabah and was the club's first-ever foreign signing, gave his verdict to ONE on how Hapoel should approach the return leg of their Champions League qualifying play-off.

Hapoel arrive in Azerbaijan with a cushion. They won the first leg 2-1, coming from behind after Veljko Simić had put Sabah ahead in the sixth minute, with Javon East levelling just before half-time and Igor Zlatanović heading the winner in the 79th minute.

Ivanović's central piece of advice was simple and pointed at Hapoel's in-form striker: "It's worthwhile for Beer Sheva that Zlatanović gets a lot of balls in the box." His reasoning is that Sabah, for all their improvement under their current setup, remain vulnerable to direct service into the area against a target man in form.

He was equally candid about the scale of the task Hapoel face on the road. Ivanović described a club that has grown significantly in organisation and squad quality since his own playing days there, and one that plays an aggressive, front-foot style at home in front of a passionate crowd.

That home strength is not just talk. Sabah were unbeaten in 14 of their 16 matches at home across all competitions in 2026 before this tie, with 12 wins and two draws since the turn of the year — a record that explains why Ivanović, despite backing Hapoel overall, was careful not to write off his former club.

Ultimately, he leaned toward Hapoel doing the job, largely on the strength of the first-leg advantage they carry into Baku. But he made clear his affection for Sabah remains, calling the second leg a game he will be watching with mixed feelings.

Kick-off at the Tofiq Bahramov Stadium is set for Tuesday evening. A draw sends Hapoel Beer Sheva into the Champions League league phase for the first time in their history; anything better than a one-goal Sabah win does the same. Lose by two clear goals, though, and the tie swings the other way.