Fenerbahce to host Rangers in Europa League clash
File photo shows a close-up of the Fenerbahce emblem on the team's iconic yellow and navy blue jersey. (AA Photo)
Fenerbahce will host Scottish club Rangers in the first leg of the UEFA Europa League Round of 16 tomorrow. The match will take place at Ulker Stadium at 8:45 p.m. Türkiye time, with Spanish referee Alejandro Hernandez officiating.
His assistants will be Jose Naranjo and Guadalupe Porras Ayuso. The fourth official will be Jose Luis Munuera, while Cesar Soto Grado will serve as the VAR official, and Valentin Gomez will be the AVAR official.
Fenerbahce aims to secure a crucial victory against their Scottish opponents at home, hoping to gain an advantage ahead of the second leg. The return match will take place on March 13 in Scotland.
Fenerbahce to play without key players
Fenerbahce will enter this challenging match without some key players. Fred and Bright Osayi-Samuel are both suspended due to yellow card accumulation.
Additionally, Fenerbahce’s national midfielder Ismail Yuksek is set to make his return after a month-long injury layoff. Depending on the coach’s decision, Ismail could be included in the matchday squad for the Rangers game.
He last played on Feb. 9 against Alanyaspor, where he sustained the injury.
Fenerbahce’s UEFA squad
Fenerbahce’s UEFA Europa League squad is as follows:
Dominik Livakovic, Irfan Can Egribayat, Ertugrul Cetin, Caglar Soyuncu, Alexander Djiku, Mert Muldur, Milan Skriniar, Ismail Yuksek, Mert Hakan Yandas, Fred, Irfan Can Kahveci, Sofyan Amrabat, Sebastian Szymanski, Anderson Talisca, Filip Kostic, Dusan Tadic, Edin Dzeko, Youssef En-Nesyri, Bright Osayi-Samuel, Allan Saint-Maximin, Cenk Tosun.
Fenerbahce’s strong European home form
Fenerbahce is currently in its 48th season of European competition and has established a dominant record against European opponents at Ulker Stadium over the past three seasons.
In their last 21 home matches, Fenerbahce secured 15 wins, four draws, and only two losses. The club has been particularly strong at home in European competitions.
on Thursday, Fenerbahce will play its 285th European match. In the last 21 home games, Fenerbahce has won 15, drawn four, and lost just two matches. The team’s only loss this season at home came against Athletic Bilbao.
At the beginning of the 2022-2023 season, Fenerbahce faced Dynamo Kyiv in the UEFA Champions League second qualifying round and lost 2-1 after extra time, following a 1-1 draw in regular time. Since then, Fenerbahce has been dominant in home European matches.
During this period, Fenerbahce triumphed over teams such as Lugano, Olympiakos, Spartak Trnava, Ludogorets, Nordsjaelland, Twente, Maribor, Zimbru, Sevilla, AEK Larnaca, Dynamo Kyiv, Austria Wien, Slovacko, Union Saint-Gilloise, and Anderlecht.
They also drew with Rennes, Lille, Manchester United, and Olympique Lyon, and suffered losses to Union Saint-Gilloise and Athletic Bilbao.
Fenerbahce was particularly strong in attack during these 21 matches, scoring 48 goals, but they conceded 16 goals in the process.
Only loss this season at home was to Bilbao
Fenerbahce has experienced just one home defeat in European competitions this season, which came against Athletic Bilbao.
Despite facing tough opponents such as Lugano from Switzerland, Lille and Olympique Lyon from France, Union Saint-Gilloise and Anderlecht from Belgium, Manchester United from England, and Athletic Bilbao from Spain, Fenerbahce managed to achieve three wins and three draws in those encounters.
Lille draw: A major setback
Fenerbahce faced their biggest disappointment this season in Kadikoy during the UEFA Champions League third qualifying round. After losing 2-1 away to Lille, Fenerbahce hosted the French side at home, where they led 1-0 after 90 minutes, sending the match into extra time. In the 118th minute, they conceded a penalty goal and ended up drawing 1-1, which led to their elimination from the Champions League.
3 different coaches led Fenerbahce to success
In recent years, Fenerbahce has enjoyed strong home performances in European competitions under the leadership of three different coaches. In the 2022-2023 season, Jorge Jesus was in charge, while last season Ismail Kartal took over.
This season, Jose Mourinho, one of the most successful managers in European football, has guided Fenerbahce to another solid campaign.
141 kome matches, 73 wins
Fenerbahce has played 141 European matches at home, winning 73 of them.
Since their first European match on Sept. 13, 1959, against Hungary’s Csepel, which ended in a 1-1 draw, Fenerbahce has accumulated 73 wins, 31 draws, and 37 losses in these 141 matches. They have scored 206 goals in those games but conceded 133.
