Fenerbahçe and Galatasaray, who were relegated to the UEFA Europa League after their elimination from the Champions League qualifiers, could be joined by Beşiktaş if they eliminate Lugano today. Could the three major Istanbul clubs face each other in the league phase? Will their matches be played on the same days?
With Galatasaray joining Fenerbahçe in continuing their journey in the Europa League, the question on everyone’s mind is whether these two fierce rivals could face each other in the league phase. If Beşiktaş eliminates Lugano today, they will also join Fenerbahçe and Galatasaray in the Europa League.
According to the new format of the Europa League, each team will play a total of 8 matches: 4 at home and 4 away. Fenerbahçe will be in Pot 2, Galatasaray in Pot 3, and Beşiktaş in Pot 4 for the draw. Teams from the same country cannot face each other in the league phase. However, they can be drawn against each other in the Round of 16 or later stages.
MATCHES WON’T BE PLAYED ONLY ON THURSDAYS, BUT ALSO ON TUESDAYS AND WEDNESDAYS
If Beşiktaş joins the Europa League today after Fenerbahçe and Galatasaray, and if Trabzonspor progresses in the Conference League, Thursdays will see a busy match schedule. However, if teams from the same city have matches scheduled for the same day, UEFA moves one club’s match to the previous day. If all matches for the week are set to take place in Istanbul, our teams will play from Tuesday to Thursday.
