MInd-blowing list of clubs South Africa's McCarthy will face in UEFA Champions League

[p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/mccarthy-aden/pf7hz3si/"]McCarthy[/a]’s [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/sabah-baku/fNGcxbyr/"]Sabah[/a] won through to the league phase for the first time and have been handed ties against European football royalty.[/p][p]They have home fixtures against [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/barcelona/SKbpVP5K/"]Barcelona[/a] (Spain), [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/dortmund/nP1i5US1/"]Borussia Dortmund[/a] (Germany), [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/napoli/69Dxbc61/"]Napoli[/a] (Italy) and [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/slavia-prague/viXGgnyB/"]Slavia Praha[/a] (Czech Republic), and travel away to [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/arsenal/hA1Zm19f/"]Arsenal[/a], [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/manchester-united/ppjDR086/"]Manchester United[/a] (both England), [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/villarreal/lUatW5jE/"]Villarreal[/a] (Spain) and [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/viking/bXAgOWwb/"]Viking[/a] (Norway).[/p][p]It will be an incredibly tough run, but in terms of experiencing the best of European football, this is just about as good as McCarthy could have expected.[/p][p]He has mostly started from the bench this season but did come on to play a crucial role in their extra-time victory over Israeli side [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/h-beer-sheva/EXAD1YZP/"]Hapoel Be’er Sheva[/a] this week.[/p][embed guid="7d1860f6-e1aa-4147-9db8-3c563f362dab" url="https://x.com/ChampionsLeague/status/2093031667040416209?s=20" social-type="twitter" /][p]McCarthy did also start the only league match Sabah have played so far this campaign, a 2-0 home win over [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/kapaz/hEojvsib/"]Kapaz[/a].[/p][p]Little-known [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/kianga-manasse/zciCiU6j/"]Manasse Kianga[/a] is the other South African player remaining in the competition. The striker plays for [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/slovan-bratislava/QRaWdwQf/"]Slovan Bratislava[/a] and has scored in the Champions League this season.[/p][p]He also has some elite teams in his line-up, though perhaps not quite as impressive as McCarthy’s.[/p][p]They face [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/inter/Iw7eKK25/"]Inter Milan[/a] (Italy), [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/betis/vJbTeCGP/"]Real Betis[/a] (Spain), [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/shakhtar/4ENWX2OA/"]Shakhtar Donetsk[/a] (Ukraine) and [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/vfb-stuttgart/nJQmYp1B/"]Stuttgart[/a] (Germany) at home, and travel to holders [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/psg/CjhkPw0k/"]Paris Saint-Germain[/a], [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/lille/pfDZL71o/"]Lille[/a] (both France), [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/as-roma/zVqqL0ma/"]Roma[/a] (Italy) and [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/lask-linz/MipWYeKQ/"]LASK[/a] (Austria).[/p][p]Sabah are making their debut in the Champions League and have already been through four rounds to reach the league phase, defeating The [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/tns/lGMtZWUH/"]New Saints[/a] (Wales), [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/kups/nLBbqJDS/"]KuPS[/a] (Finland), Gift Links’ [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/aarhus/OOXnKGbO/"]Aarhus[/a] (Denmark) and Hapoel Be’er Sheva.[/p][embed guid="64c5c19e-4976-45ec-9bd0-1f034d4e6186" url="https://x.com/ChampionsLeague/status/2092974676515373260?s=20" social-type="twitter" /][p]Slovakia’s Slovan Bratislava have been competing in European football since the 1956/57 season, so are old hands, and beat Barcelona 3-2 to win the old UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup in 1968/69.[/p][p]They have had a slightly shorter route to the league phase than Sabah, playing one round fewer. They beat [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/iberia-1999/dhfRkskl/"]Iberia 1999[/a] (Georgia), [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/mjallby/S0XtXM1E/"]Mjällby[/a] (Sweden) and [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/celje/SpbURe4O/"]Celje[/a] (Slovenia).[/p][infobox id="584d9683-f419-4696-8cb3-c155213092a0" /]