The 2022-23 Europa League campaign is set to commence this week, and Fenerbahce will host Dynamo Kiev in the opening game of Group B on Thursday.
The visitors head into this game without a victory in their previous four performances in all competitions, meanwhile the hosts are fresh off a 2-0 victory.
Match preview
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Fenerbahce have had a strong start to their 2022-23 campaign in all competitions, and they currently find themselves third in the Turkish Super Lig after the opening five games.
The squad have won three of their encounters so far, with the most recent victory taking place against Kayserispor with goals from Joao Pedro and Joshua King.
Jorge Jesus will be hoping to see that form continue in the Europa Leauge on Thursday, especially since the club failed to qualify from the group stage last season.
In the 2021-22 campaign Fenerbahce were only able to win one of their six matches, and while they did transfer to the Europa Conference League, this season they will want more.
The Turkish club have looked confident in the qualifying games for this competition, having picked up three victories and a draw across those games, showcasing the confidence the squad have.
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Last season Dynamo Kiev did not compete in this competition as they were part of the Champions League, however they ended up finishing bottom of their group, which ended their European adventures.
Mircea Lucescu will want to see more from his squad this time around, but they do not head into this game in good form based on recent performances.
His squad were defeated 3-2 at the weekend when they faced Zorya Luhansk in the Ukrainian Premier League, despite the fact that Vitaliy Buyalskyi and Vladyslav Vanat got themselves on the scoresheet.
In Europe, Dynamo Kiev did have the chance to get into the Champions League again this season, but they were comfortably defeated 5-0 on aggregate by Benfica in their playoff match.
The club currently finds itself in the relegation zone when it comes to their league form, showcasing just how tough their start has been, which is why this match might be a welcome distraction.
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Team News
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Fresh from a 2-0 win in the league there is a chance that Jesus opts to make no changes to his Fenerbahce side that have looked impressive in the early moments of this season.
Nazim Sangare is one player that the Turkish outfit will be without though as he is currently on the sidelines due to a cruciate ligament injury.
The visitors are also having to deal with injury problems as well, with Denys Popov currently out of action with a shoulder problem that he has been dealing with this summer.
At the other end of the field Vladyslav Supryaga is another player that Dynamo Kiev are having to deal without as he has a hip problem at the moment.
Fenerbahce possible starting lineup:
Bayindir; Henrique, Szalai, Petroni; Alioski, Crespo, Arao, Kahveci, Kadioglu; Pedro, King
Dynamo Kiev possible starting lineup:
Bushchan; Kedziora, Zabarnyi, Syrota, Dubinchak; Kabayev, Andriyevskyi, Buyalskyi, Shepelev, Karavayev; Vanat
We say: Fenerbahce 2-0 Dynamo Kiev
This is the opening game of the group, therefore the focus is going to be on simply picking up points as quickly as possible.
However, Fenerbahce have been the stronger of the two teams when it comes to form in their respective leagues, and that could be the difference maker in this one.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
