Captain back, and the timing is not a coincidence
Mert Hakan Yandaş's six-month suspension ended on 4 October 2026, and he went straight into training (5) (11) (15). His return lands in the same week Fenerbahçe travel to Çaykur Rizespor on Saturday, with İsmail Kartal already calling him "this team's captain" and saying he will get his chance (5).
Read the calendar. The 8–0 against Eyüpspor on 20 September is the only convincing result in five matches, and the two games Fenerbahçe dropped points in were the tight ones, 1–2 at home to Besiktas and 0–0 away at Gaziantep FK. A captain who plays on the edge is exactly what a squad that goes flat in these games lacks.
The Lukaku question Kartal has to answer
Kartal is reportedly set to hand Romelu Lukaku a start at Rizespor (4) (6). That is a decision, not a rotation.
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Fenerbahçe sit 6th on 10 points from six, goal difference +10, and the form line reads W L D D W. The +10 tells you the goals are bunched into one afternoon against weak opposition. Lukaku starting away from home is the test of whether Kartal wants a striker who can hold a game, or another body to feed a possession side that has already stalled twice this season.
January is already being planned, out loud
The winter window is three months away and the exits are already public. Dorgeles Nene and Ognjen Mimovic are set to leave in January (6) (8) (13) (16), and at least one surprise departure is being floated for the break (11) (19).
Inbound, Fenerbahçe want Brahim Diaz, with a Milan alternative lined up, and are reportedly planning to use Arda Güler's backing to land a Real Madrid player (10) (12) (18). Endrick, a summer target, is now a Roma loan case instead (9).
Kartal talking about Arda Güler to the Azerbaijani press is a manager polishing his own record (7). It is louder than anything he has said about the XI in front of him.
The friendly nobody should read too much into
Fenerbahçe beat Turan Tovuz 2–0 in Baku during the international break (8) (14). A 2–0 against an Azerbaijani side is a fitness exercise.
Greenwood's kick at an opponent in the 32nd minute is the one detail worth remembering (14). Discipline is the thread running through this squad right now, from the captain's ban to a friendly flashpoint.
What to watch
Rizespor away on Saturday, 18:00 CEST, then Aston Villa in the Champions League on 14 October (15). Two trips, two very different tests.
Watch whether Yandaş starts or sits, whether the Lukaku report is real, and whether this team can take a result in a game it does not control. The 8–0 has been carrying this season for two weeks.
