Ahead of the UEFA Champions League first qualifying round match between Sabah and TNS, Valdas Dambrauskas addressed the media.

The Lithuanian head coach expressed his hopes for a successful season, similar to last year, stating, "I hope this season will be as successful for us as it was last year. We will represent Azerbaijan in the Champions League, and we have a great responsibility ahead of us. It would be an honour for us to do this very well. We spent two weeks in Austria for a training camp. Up to today, we have had 21 training sessions. We have some new players, and we need to establish new connections with them. We have prepared very well. I believe we are ready. The opponent is also welcome. I trust they will see our hospitality. We will give our all on the pitch, you will see it 100%."

Dambrauskas also commented on the strengths of the opponent, saying, "I don't want to go into details. I have informed my players about this. They have experience and are champions. They have key players who can score when the opportunity arises. They became champions with a 20-point lead. We should be concerned about our own game, not the opponent's. In tournaments like this, the trophies and medals you win do not intimidate the other team."