Former Kaizer Chiefs centre back Aden McCarthy has another opportunity to make an impression at the highest level of the game when his new Azerbaijan club Sabah play in the UEFA Champions League on Tuesday against German giants Borussia Dortmund.
It is the third game in the group phase for the club from the far reaches of eastern Europe, who came through four qualifying rounds to reach the last 32 for the first time.
The 22-year-old McCarthy has started both of the two previous group games – a 4-0 defeat at the hands of Manchester United at Old Trafford in September and last week’s 2-0 home win over Slavia Prague of the Czech Republic.
Tuesday’s match will see McCarthy up against Guinea forward Serhou Guirassy, who played against Bafana Bafana in the Africa Cup of Nations qualifier last month.
After opening the new Champions League season with a 3-2 victory over Villarreal, Dortmund recently suffered a setback. Niko Kovac's team lost 1-0 away to Norwegian club FK Bodø/Glimt. Dortmund have also fallen short of expectations in the Bundesliga: a 2-2 draw against Werder Bremen was followed by a goalless draw away at Union Berlin.
In Baku, Dortmund hope to return to winning ways and improve their position in the league phase. After two matches, they have collected three points. Following the loss in Norway, Kovac criticised the team's lack of intensity and their lack of precision in attack.
Dortmund have previously played in Baku twice. In October 2015, they defeated Qəbələ FK 3-1 in the Europa League group stage, with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang scoring a hat-trick. Earlier, in August 2010, Dortmund beat Qarabağ Ağdam 1-0 in the Europa League play-offs under then-manager Jürgen Klopp.
McCarthy moved to Azerbaijan at the beginning of the season, having made his full debut at Chiefs at the end of the 2024-25 campaign and then had a full season in the last campaign in the AmaKhosi line-up.
The match in Baku is broadcast live on SuperSport (kick-off 18h45 SA time).