Besiktas ranks 2nd in Europa League play-off team values

Besiktas will play against Swiss club Lugano in the first leg of the UEFA Europa League play-off round on Thursday.

The market values of the teams in this round have been disclosed, with Turkish representative Besiktas ranking second among the teams in terms of squad value. Besiktas’ squad is valued at €142.5 million.

Ajax, a Dutch team, tops the list with a squad worth €248.55 million. Braga, a Portuguese team, occupies the third position, while Anderlecht, a Belgian team, occupies the fourth position.

With a squad value of €4.28 million, Shamrock Rovers, an Irish team, is at the bottom of the list.

It is important to note that five of the teams in this round have squad values that are less than €10 million.

Team values, top players

Rank	Team	Country	Value (Million €)	Most Valuable Player	Most Valuable Player (€)
1	Ajax	Netherlands	248.55	Brian Brobbey	35,000,000
2	Besiktas	Turkey	142.53	Gedson Fernandes	15,000,000
3	SC Braga	Portugal	124.75	Simon Banza	18,000,000
4	Anderlecht	Belgium	108.5	Anders Dreyer	15,000,000
5	PAOK	Greece	100.4	Giannis Konstantelias	15,000,000
6	Ferencváros TC	Hungary	54.7	Mohammed Abu Fani	6,000,000
7	Ludogorets	Bulgaria	51.65	Bernard Tekpetey	6,000,000
8	LASK	Austria	43	Marin Ljubicic	8,000,000
9	FC Viktoria Plzen	Czech Republic	39.55	Pavel Sulc	6,000,000
10	FCSB	Romania	35.3	Darius Olaru	7,000,000
11	FC Lugano	Switzerland	35.3	Mattia Zanotti	4,000,000
12	SK Rapid Wien	Austria	28.85	Dion Beljo	4,000,000
13	FK TSC Backa Topola	Serbia	28	Veljko Ilic	3,000,000
14	Molde FK	Norway	27.7	Emil Breivik	3,500,000
15	Heart of Midlothian FC	Scotland	21.13	Lawrence Shankland	4,000,000
16	Maccabi Tel Aviv	Israel	20.11	Dor Turgeman	2,500,000
17	IF Elfsborg	Sweden	18.05	Michael Baidoo	3,000,000
18	Jagiellonia Bialystok	Poland	15.71	Nené	1,500,000
19	APOEL	Cyprus	15.53	Max Meyer	1,700,000
20	FC RFS	Latvia	9.43	Emerson Deocleciano	900,000
21	FK Borac Banja Luka	Bosnia and Herzegovina	7.5	Bart Maijers	800,000
22	Dinamo Minsk	Belarus	6.23	Ivan Bakhar	600,000
23	FC Petrocub Hincesti	Moldova	5.88	Vladimir Ambros	550,000
24	Shamrock Rovers	Ireland	4.28	Jack Byrne	450,000

With a value of €35,000,000, Brian Brobbey of Ajax is the most valuable player in the play-off round. Gedson Fernandes, a Besiktas player, is the third most valuable player in the play-off leg, with a value of €15,000,000.

Besiktas’s opponent in this round, Lugano’s most valuable player is Italian right-back Mattia Zanotti, worth €4 million.

Besiktas starts season with high ambitions

Under the guidance of new manager Giovanni van Bronckhorst, Besiktas has kicked off the season with a strong performance.

The team achieved a commanding 5-0 win over Galatasaray in the Turkish Super Cup and followed it up with league victories against Samsunspor (2-0) and Antalyaspor (4-2), placing them at the top of the Trendyol Super Lig standings.

Van Bronckhorst is focused on making a notable impression in Europe, aiming to advance to the group stages of the UEFA Europa League.

Besiktas has the edge over Lugano on paper, both in terms of squad value and historical achievements. But last year in the UEFA Conference League group stage, Beşiktaş lost 3-2 to Lugano. Especially from the duo of Immobile and Rafa Silva, Besiktas fans will expect a lot in this match and the rematch.

Lugano is ranked 4th in the Swiss Super League this season. Winning 3 of his 4 matches, Lugano played his last match against SC Brühl in the Swiss Cup and won the match 7-1.

Lugano Besiktas match will take place on Thursday at 9:30 p.m. CET at the Thun Arena.