Galatasaray, Fenerbahçe, and Beşiktaş chasing victories in Europe League
Turkey’s football giants—Galatasaray, Fenerbahçe, and Beşiktaş—are facing tough opponents in the UEFA Europa League. Galatasaray is looking for a win in Latvia against Rigas Skola, Fenerbahçe plays Twente away, and Beşiktaş will battle Frankfurt.
The nation will be focused on football today as these three major teams play their second matches in the tournament.
GALATASARAY, who started the competition with a victory against PAOK, will face Rigas Skola (RFS) at 19:45 in Latvia. Galatasaray, valued at €288 million, is ranked 7th among the 36 teams in the tournament, while RFS, valued at €9.4 million, is at the bottom. The Latvian champions lost 4-1 to FCSB in their first match. Fernando Muslera is suspended, so Günay will be in goal, while injured Ziyech and Sallai, who was not included in the UEFA list, are absent. Osimhen will also not be risked.
Probable lineups:
– Rigas Skola: Ondoa, Savalnieks, Prenga, Lipuscek, Markhiyev, Panic, Odisharia, Ikaunieks, Zelenkovs, Kouadio.
– Galatasaray: Günay, Kaan, Sanchez, Abdülkerim, Jakobs, Torreira, Sara, Barış, Mertens, Yunus, Icardi.
FENERBAHÇE following their victory over Union SG, will aim for back-to-back wins in their 22:00 away match against Twente. The teams have met four times before, with Fenerbahçe winning three of those matches. Twente earned a 1-1 draw with Manchester United in their opening match. Fenerbahçe will be without suspended Osayi-Samuel and injured Çağlar Söyüncü. Other players, including Levent Mercan, Oğuz Aydın, Bartuğ Elmaz, and Ryan Kent, are also absent from the UEFA squad.
Probable lineups:
– Twente: Unnerstall, Van Rooij, Hilgers, Kuipers, Regeer, Vlap, Wolfswinkel, Steijn, Ltaief, Lammers.
– Fenerbahçe: Livakovic, Mert Müldür, Djiku, Becao, Oosterwolde, Amrabat, Fred, Szymanski, İrfan Can, Saint-Maximin, En Nesyri.
BEŞİKTAŞ, who suffered a heavy 4-0 defeat to Ajax in the first week, will play at home against Eintracht Frankfurt, aiming to earn their first points and boost morale. Beşiktaş is at the bottom of the standings, while Frankfurt, with two Europa League titles (1980, 2022), drew 3-3 with Viktoria Plzen in their first match. Beşiktaş will be without injured Al Musrati. Eintracht Frankfurt’s Can Uzun will face his former team, with the German side boasting five wins, one draw, and one loss in their 10 matches this season.
Probable lineups:
– Beşiktaş: Mert, Svensson, Paulista, Uduokhai, Masuaku, Ndour, Ghedson, Raschica, Rafa Silva, Joao Mario, Immobile.
– Eintracht Frankfurt: Santos, Kristensen, Amenda, Theate, Nkounkou, Knauff, Dahoud, Skhiri, Marmoush, Ekitike, Matanovic.
