Fenerbahce Warned Before Twente Match

They want revenge | Mourinho has always caused disappointment…
Fenerbahce will face one of the strong teams in the Netherlands, Twente, away in the UEFA Europa League match today. The yellow-navy team started the cup with a morale-boosting 2-1 win against Union Saint-Gilloise in the first match at Kadikoy and is focused on securing 3 points in this tough match. Dutch journalists made special statements about the advantageous side in the match to be played at De Grolsch Veste Stadium.

Twente, which returned with a 1-1 draw from Manchester United in the first week of the UEFA Europa League, will host our representative Fenerbahce at home. The yellow-navy team, relying on in-form attacking players such as Szymanski, Tadic, Maximin, and Dzeko, has all its plans based on a certain victory. Dutch colleagues highlighted Twente’s dangerous aspects while evaluating the recent performances of both teams.

ASSESSMENTS OF DUTCH JOURNALISTS BEFORE THE MATCH:

GEERT-JAN JAKOBS (VOETBAL INTERNATIONAL):
“Oosting wants to play high-press football.”
FC Twente has been rebuilding itself as a club since the financial problems that led to relegation in 2018. They returned to the Eredivisie within a year and have made progress both on and off the field since then. Under head coach Joseph Oosting, FC Twente has improved in terms of style of play and player quality. Oosting loves to attack and wants to play high-press football. Twente’s strength comes from team spirit, work ethic, and the technical ability of its players, as it has for many years.

“The game at Manchester United was very impressive.”
Twente’s performance at Manchester United was very impressive, and the 1-1 result was well deserved. Twente was brave at Old Trafford; they played disciplined football defensively and always thought forward when they had the ball. Right-back Bart van Rooij was a standout player against M. United. Van Rooij has just arrived from NEC Nijmegen and has performed excellently so far. His strength lies in attack, proven by his great runs at Old Trafford. Goalkeeper Lars Unnerstall, who has played for FC Twente for many years, was also one of the key players in the Manchester United match. In my opinion, he is the best goalkeeper in the Eredivisie; he is tall, strong, calm, very agile, and has incredible reflexes. FC Twente has a very talented center-back in Mees Hilgers and a technically skilled forward in Sam Lammers, who uses both feet well. Attacking midfielder Sem Steijn is currently the top scorer in the Eredivisie with six goals. Sem Steijn’s ability to see space on the field and his positioning skills are his two greatest attributes. With defender Robin Propper moving to Rangers FC and Michal Sadilek injured in the summer, FC Twente has lacked physical strength and a leader on the field.

“Mourinho has disappointed many Dutch teams.”
I admire how Jose Mourinho uses everything at his disposal to influence players and journalists in his favor. I have always liked Mourinho as a character and a coach focused on winning. Many Dutch teams and coaches, like Feyenoord in the Conference League final against Roma and Ajax in the Europa League against Manchester United, have been disappointed because of him. I feel that if FC Twente sees the Mourinho effect on Thursday in Enschede, they will experience the same disappointment. Meanwhile, Dusan Tadic, one of the players on the team, is a highly respected name in the Netherlands and could play an important role against his former club. I don’t yet know who will play for Fenerbahce, but I believe Allan Saint-Maximin could also pose a lot of problems for FC Twente. Edin Dzeko will always be a challenging player for the defenders.

“TWENTE HAS A VERY LARGE FANS, BUT THE FAVORITE IS FENERBAHCE.”
FC Twente has a very large and loyal fan base. The 4,000 fans who went to Old Trafford were described by people in Manchester as the best away fans ever. Tickets for every home match sell out, and many people are on a waiting list. The atmosphere in league matches this season has been somewhat dull, but I think it will be different on Thursday. Twente fans will support their players, but I still believe Fenerbahce, with all its quality, experience, and Mourinho on the sidelines, is the favorite for the match.

BJORN HUISTEDE (TWENTEFANS.NL):
“Goalkeeper Lars Unnerstall is known for his cat-like reflexes.”
FC Twente is currently on a good run. They experienced disappointment after drawing at home against Sparta Rotterdam and PEC Zwolle, but they have won three of their last four league matches without conceding a goal. Last week, FC Twente surprisingly earned a point at Old Trafford against Manchester United, which was unexpected for the more than 4,000 Twente fans who attended. Manchester United’s transfer value is 12 times higher than ours, and they spent over €214 million on new players last summer. For example, our most expensive transfer was Sam Lammers, who was brought in from Rangers FC for around €2 million. Lammers has scored three times in the league and netted a goal at Old Trafford. However, he has yet to score at our stadium, De Grolsch Veste. Attacking midfielder Sem Steijn is also a standout player, currently the top scorer in the Netherlands with six goals in seven matches. We also have the best goalkeeper in the Netherlands, Lars Unnerstall, a German player known for his cat-like reflexes, who previously played for PSV. Additionally, new signing Bart van Rooij has been drawing attention with his performances, particularly as he stood out at the Manchester United match. Czech international Michal Sadilek is usually a key player for us, but he has been sidelined for months due to an injury he sustained before the European Championship last summer.

“Twente will seek revenge for last year’s matches.”
The day Jose Mourinho comes to the Netherlands is eagerly anticipated. He is a strange coach but has achieved many successes. Mourinho faced Dutch teams such as Ajax when he coached Manchester United and Feyenoord during his time at AS Roma. Beating Jose Mourinho is very difficult. He will present a well-organized and tactical game. FC Twente faced Fenerbahce in the final qualifying round of the Conference League last season. I remember FC Twente played very well in the first half in Istanbul, and they went into halftime with a 1-1 draw. However, Fenerbahce inflicted a heavy 5-1 defeat after Youri Regeer received a red card. In Enschede, both teams displayed a balanced struggle, and FC Twente lost 1-0 due to Edin Dzeko’s penalty goal. Twente will undoubtedly seek revenge on Thursday, especially since many players are still playing in Enschede. Fenerbahce has some players who are well known in Enschede. Jayden Oosterwolde, who came up through the FC Twente youth system, returned to Fenerbahce via Parma. It will feel like going home for him. Dusan Tadic played two seasons at FC Twente and was highly appreciated during that time. After playing for many years at Ajax, his popularity has slightly diminished, but Dusan is greatly respected for his winning mentality and career. Sebastian Szymanski, Filip Kostic, and Sofyan Amrabat have also played in the Eredivisie. In the match on Thursday, Fenerbahce’s attack and midfield should be closely watched. Individually, Fenerbahce has much more quality, but FC Twente could create a surprise collectively.

“FC Twente will need a 12th man to beat Fenerbahce.”
FC Twente is known for its passionate supporters. After the match at Old Trafford, Dutch fans received much praise from the English media. Additionally, on Thursday night, FC Twente will need a 12th man to defeat Fenerbahce. Turkish fans are also known for being quite passionate. Last year, the away section was unfortunately empty due to a UEFA ban, but with a full stadium, there will at least be a great atmosphere on Thursday night. Many Fenerbahce fans from the Netherlands and Germany (Enschede is close to the German border) are trying to buy tickets for home matches, and FC Twente is trying to counter this situation as much as possible.

“Fenerbahce has individually better players.”
We hope to deliver a good performance like last Thursday’s match against Manchester United. Fenerbahce has a much larger budget and individually better players, but FC Twente can rise to the occasion at De Grolsch Veste. For example, Red Bull Salzburg was unable to win in Enschede last August, and Fiorentina drew there two years ago. Fans will settle for a draw, but more is possible. Beşiktaş lost 4-0 to Ajax last week, and Ajax is currently not definitively better than FC Twente. I predict the match will end in a 1-1 draw.