Fenerbahce to face Manchester United with six absentees
Following Basaksehir’s match, Fenerbahce and Besiktas will take the stage. Having gathered 4 points in their first two matches, Fenerbahce will host the world-renowned English side Manchester United at Ulker Stadium.
For Fenerbahce, head coach Jose Mourinho and Brazilian player Fred will face their former teams. The visiting side will also see Altay Bayindir experiencing a similar excitement.
Fenerbahce will be without Oosterwolde and Cengiz Under due to injuries, while Levent, Oguz, Kostic, and Bartug are not on the UEFA squad list.
Probable Line-ups:
Fenerbahce: Livakovic, Osayi, Becao, Djiku, Mert Muldur, Amrabat, Fred, Tadic, Szymanski, Irfan Can, Dzeko.
Manchester United: Onana, Mazraoui, De Ligt, Martinez, Dalot, Ugarte, Casemiro, Garnacho, Eriksen, Rashford, Hojlund.
Fenerbahce’s 277th Appearance in Europe
Fenerbahce will play their 277th match in European competitions. To date, the Yellow-Navy Blues have recorded 110 wins, 109 losses, and 57 draws in 276 matches. Fenerbahce has scored 377 goals and conceded 393 in European competitions.
139th Match in the Europa League
In the UEFA Europa League, formerly known as the UEFA Cup until the 2009-2010 season, Fenerbahce has played 138 matches. They have won 61, lost 43, and drawn 34. The team has celebrated 194 goals and conceded 173.
70th Home Match in This Competition
Fenerbahce will play their 70th home match in the UEFA Europa League. In the previous 69 home games, they have secured 38 wins, 14 losses, and 17 draws, scoring 114 goals and conceding 69.
7th Meeting Between the Two Teams
Fenerbahce and Manchester United have faced each other six times before: four in the UEFA Champions League and two in the UEFA Europa League. In the 1996-1997 season, Manchester United won 2-0 in Istanbul, while Fenerbahce triumphed 1-0 at Old Trafford, courtesy of Elvir Bolic’s goal.
In the 2004-2005 season, the home teams emerged victorious, with Manchester United winning 6-2 at home and Fenerbahce securing a 3-0 win in Istanbul. In the 2016-2017 Europa League season, Manchester United won 4-1 in England, while Fenerbahce won 2-1 in Turkey.
Left-back Problem for Fenerbahce
Ahead of the Manchester United match, Fenerbahce is facing a left-back issue. After selling Ferdi Kadioglu to Brighton in England, Fenerbahce started the season with Jayden Oosterwolde and Levent Mercan.
Oosterwolde sustained an injury in the match against Samsunspor and will be out for a while. Levent Mercan is not on the UEFA squad list, so he won’t feature in the Manchester United match. Mourinho is expected to field Djiku in this position.
4 Players Absent, 2 Injured
Jayden Oosterwolde and Cengiz Under are injured and will miss the match. Levent Mercan, Oguz Aydin, Filip Kostic, and Bartug Elmaz are not registered in the UEFA squad list and will also be unavailable.
Bright Osayi-Samuel, who received a red card against Union Saint-Gilloise and missed the Twente away game, has completed his suspension. If Mourinho opts to play him, Osayi-Samuel can take part in the match.
Mourinho and Fred to Face Their Former Club
Fenerbahce’s head coach Jose Mourinho and midfielder Fred will go up against their former club. Mourinho, who managed Manchester United between 2016 and 2018, led the team to three trophies: the UEFA Europa League, the English League Cup, and the English Super Cup.
Fred, who played for Manchester United from 2018 to 2023, won the English League Cup during his time with the team.
Fenerbahce’s UEFA Squad:
Dominik Livakovic, Irfan Can Egribayat, Ertugrul Cetin, Samet Akaydin, Caglar Soyuncu, Alexander Djiku, Rodrigo Becao, Bright Osayi-Samuel, Mert Muldur, Jayden Oosterwolde, Ismail Yuksek, Mert Hakan Yandas, Fred, Irfan Can Kahveci, Sofyan Amrabat, Sebastian Szymanski, Tadic, Allan Saint-Maximin, Cengiz Under, Cenk Tosun, Youssef En-Nesyri, Dzeko.
