The UEFA Champions League match between Hacken and New Saints will take place at Bravida Arena on Wednesday at 10:30 pm IST.
Hacken and The New Saints will kick off their Champions League qualification campaigns as they face each other at Bravida Stadium in the first round on Wednesday evening. Hacken has never advanced to the qualifying rounds of the tournament, while The New Saints have never progressed beyond the third round.
Hacken, who clinched their first-ever Allsvenskan title in 2022, earned a spot in the first round of Champions League qualifying. Despite being new to the Champions League, they have prior experience in European competitions, having participated in the Europa League qualifiers on seven occasions. In the 2022 Allsvenskan, Hacken secured the championship with 64 points in 30 games, finishing seven points ahead of Djurgardens IF. Currently, they are performing well in the ongoing league season, sitting in third place, just three points behind league leaders Elfsborg. Leading up to their debut Champions League campaign, Hacken has been in excellent form, winning four and drawing one of their last five league matches. In their latest match against AIF Stockholm, they secured a 2-1 victory with goals from Mikkel Rygaard and Ibrahim Sadiq, providing them with valuable momentum for their first-ever Champions League qualifier.
The New Saints have a richer history in the Champions League, having participated in the qualifying stages on 15 occasions. However, their last progression beyond the second qualifying round dates back to the 2010-11 season, after which they were comfortably eliminated by Anderlecht. In their domestic league, The New Saints have been dominant, winning 15 league titles, including the last two consecutive championships. In the 2022-23 campaign, they amassed an impressive 60 points from 22 games, remaining unbeaten throughout the season. In their most recent competitive match, the Welsh FA Cup final, they secured a resounding 6-0 victory against Bala Town. The New Saints have played four friendly matches since then, with their latest win being a 1-0 result against Macclesfield FC, courtesy of a goal from Declan McManus, who has scored in seven consecutive games.
Hacken probable starting lineup: Abrahamsson, Fridriksson, Sandberg, Hovland, Lund, Rygaard, Samuel Gustafson, Simon Gustafson, Oscar, Sana, Sadiq
The New Saints probable starting lineup: Roberts, Astles, Davies, Pask, Marriott, Clark, Redmond, Smith, Brobbel, Williams, McManus
Hacken
| Opponents | Score |
| AIK | 2-1 (W) |
| Norrkoping | 2-2 (D) |
| Djurgarden | 1-3 (L) |
| Mjallby | 3-0 (W) |
| Varberg | 2-0 (W) |
New Saints
| Opponents | Score |
| Macclesfield | 1-0 (W) |
| Cardiff | 1-3 (L) |
| Hamilton | 1-2 (L) |
| Crusaders | 4-1 (W) |
| Bala | 6-0 (W) |
The upcoming encounter between these two teams will be their first match ever.
The UEFA Champions League match between Hacken and New Saints will take place at Bravida Arena on Wednesday at 10:30 pm IST.
| Hacken vs New Saints | Key Details |
| Date | July 12 (Kazakhstan) |
| Venue | Bravida Arena |
| Kickoff time in Sweden | 7:00 pm (Wednesday) |
| Kickoff time in Ireland | 6:00 pm (Wednesday) |
| Kickoff time in India | 10:30 pm (Wednesday) |
Football fans in Ireland can catch the live action via S4C Clic while those in Sweden can watch the match via Sport Bladet Play.
More football news:
Lionel Messi confirms that he will not participate in 2026 World Cup
Lionel Messi was detained by Chinese police at Beijing airport. Here’s what happened
Get the latest from Sportslumo.com by following us on Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube
Follow Us
