Three Turkish teams, namely Fenerbahçe, Başakşehir and Konyaspor, will fight to continue their UEFA European campaigns by reaching the playoff rounds of their respective tournaments Thursday.
Current Süper Lig runner-up Fenerbahçe will take on Czech team Slovacko in the second leg of their UEFA Europa League third qualifying round match.
Başakşehir, on the other hand, will fight against Iceland’s Breidablik and Konyaspor will battle Liechtenstein representative, Vaduz, in the second leg matches of the UEFA Conference League third-round qualifiers.
Turkish giant Fenerbahçe will travel to the Czech Republic with one foot already in the playoffs.
The Yellow Canaries hold a 3-0 advantage on aggregate after beating the Czechs at home in Istanbul in the first leg with goals from Emre Mor and Lincoln Henrique.
However, a win will lift the spirits at the club following a below-par start to the domestic season in a 3-3 draw against newcomer Ümraniyespor on Monday.
It will be boosted by the return of young imposing midfielder İsmail Yüksek, who served a one-match ban following a red card against Dynamo Kyiv.
Fenerbahçe will be without three key players Irfan Can Kahveci, Joao Pedro and Serdar Aziz, all three recovering from injuries.
The match at Mestsky Fotbalovy Stadion Miroslava Valenty in Uherske Hradiste will kick off at 8 p.m. local time and officiated by Montenegro referee Nikola Dabanovic.
In case of a win for Fenerbahçe, it will take on Austria Wien in the playoffs round.
Başakşehir at home
The only Istanbul-based team in the Europa Conference League will look to use its home advantage against Breidablik and seal a place in the playoffs for the UEFA’s third-tier continental tournament.
After a 3-1 win in the first leg in Iceland, coach Emre Belözoğlu’s Başakşehir will hope for easy promotion.
It does not have any injury concerns but will be without Mesut Özil and Nacer Chadli, who were not named on the list for the round.
If Başakşehir wins against Breidablik in the third qualifying round, it will face the winner of the Lilleström vs. Royal Antwerp match in the playoffs.
The match will kick off at 8:45 p.m. (5:45 p.m. GMT) at the Başakşehir Fatih Terim Stadium Thursday. Hungarian referee Tomas Bognar will officiate the match.
Konyaspor, on the other hand, will host Liechtenstein-based side Vaduz in a must-win match in the eponymous central Anatolian city.
Last season’s third-place holder has no room for error after a 1-1 stalemate in the first leg.
Spanish referee Guillermo Cuadra Fernandez will officiate the match.
If Konyaspor passes this round, it will face the winner of the Neftçi vs. Rapid Wien match in the playoff round.
