Slavia Prague at home, and you need the win
Fenerbahçe 0, Slavia Prague 0 is the starting point nobody wants after two matchdays. One point in the bag, Slavia on zero, Champions League matchday 3 at Şükrü Saracoğlu on Tuesday, kickoff 18:45 CEST (1) (2) (4). The Spanish referee Ricardo de Burgos takes it (4).
You know what a home game like this means. Three points, or the league phase gets very tight very fast.
And the backdrop is not calm. On Wednesday, October 14, Aston Villa beat you 6–0. On Saturday, October 17 you answered with a 3–0 home win against Alanyaspor. Third in the Süper Lig on 16 points after eight games, goal difference +16.
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Asensio and Mert Müldür are out
Both miss out with knee problems: "Es fehlen bei Fenerbahçe: Asensio, Müldür (beide Knie)" (6) (9). Two names İsmail Kartal has to replace, and no word yet on how long either is out.
Losing Asensio hurts most in a game where you need to break down a compact side.
Muriqi or Lukaku up front
That is the big call Kartal has to make. Vedat Muriqi is the man pushing to lead the line in this one (1). Romelu Lukaku is the alternative (6).
Lukaku scored his first league goal for the club on Saturday (7). Slavia coach Jindrich Trpisovsky has seen more than enough: "Il est incroyablement fort. J'adore jouer contre Lukaku. Je le connais bien : il ne faut surtout pas lui laisser le moindre espace" (7) (8). Roughly: do not give him a centimetre.
The likely back line reads Ederson, Nélson Semedo, Škriniar, Aké, Brown, with Guendouzi and Kanté in midfield and Kerem Aktürkoğlu, Greenwood, İrfan Can Kahveci and Oğuz Aydın in the mix further forward (6) (10).
Greenwood is the buy that worked
€39 million from United, and Mason Greenwood has 11 goal contributions in 16 games for Fenerbahçe (5). His estimated transfer value has climbed to €59.9 million (5).
On this form he is the man Slavia have to plan for. Expect him to start (6) (10).
Galatasaray comes six days later
Before the derby, this game. Fenerbahçe travel to Galatasaray on Monday, October 26, then host Göztepe on Saturday, October 31.
Get through Slavia with three points and you go into the derby with something behind you.
