Preview: Fenerbahce vs. FC Twente
Fenerbahce and FC Twente square off on Thursday in the first leg of their Europa Conference League playoff tie.
In what is arguably the head-to-head of the round, either the Turkish giants or the in-form Dutch outfit will miss out on a place in the group stages.
Whenever Fenerbahce missed out on a Super Lig title, it is deemed to be a failure, yet there was still an acceptance that Galatasaray deserved their triumph in 2022-23.
However, on the back of a second-placed finish and a wide array of astute signings during the summer, Fenerbahce looks well set to regain the top-flight crown and go deep in Europe.
So far, Ismail Kartal has witnessed his team win all six of their games in all competitions this season, scoring 19 goals in the process.
While it should be noted that they are yet to face a Turkish title challenger or notable European name, only confidence can come from showcasing such efficiency in their opening fixtures.
Nevertheless, there can be little doubt that the stakes are high ahead of this contest, with Fenerbahce facing opponents who are playing with a similar amount of quality.
Although Twente have scored five goals fewer than Fenerbahce over the same amount of fixtures, 10 strikes have come from their most recent three encounters.
On the back of a 4-1 victory over Almere City, Joseph Oosting witnessed his side overcome PEC Zwolle by a 3-1 scoreline on Sunday to make it successive wins in the Eredivisie.
In total, Twente have gone as many as 15 competitive matches unbeaten since their last defeat back in April, and their inferior stature in comparison to Fenerbahce should be ignored.
The Dutch side have not competed in the group stage of a European tournament since participating in that phase of the 2012-13 Europa League.
Fenerbahce Europa Conference League form:
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Fenerbahce form (all competitions):
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FC Twente Europa Conference League form:
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FC Twente form (all competitions):
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We say: Fenerbahce 2-1 FC Twente
Neither side has shown many faults whatsoever during the early weeks of the season, undoubtedly helped by starting competitive games earlier than other teams. On this particular occasion, we expect Fenerbahce to edge an entertaining tussle, but Twente keep themselves in the tie ahead of the second leg.