Fenerbahce – Zimbru

Istanbul club defeat visiting Moldovan team

Istanbul Fenerbahçe continue to go through a bad period of their glorious history. Nineteen times the Yellow Canaries have won the Turkish league title, but the last time they managed to triumph on the national stage was in the 2013/2014 season. Since then, Fenerbahçe have lost the gold medals either to their worst enemies from Istanbul or to unexpected triumphants such as Trabzonspor or Başakşehir. Fenerbahçe finished last season in second position in the Super League, but their players have little reason to bite their elbows in frustration. Firstly, the team finished eight points behind Galatasaray. Secondly, they lost to their direct rival just before the end of the season with a score of 0:3. Another thing is that the Istanbul team was given a victory in the Turkish Cup, which was won just a month and a half ago. The total transfer value of the Fenerbahçe squad, according to experts, is estimated at 183.6 million euros. This squad is formed mainly by legionnaires from Brazil and European football powers. Istanbul club spent the preparatory stage for the new season in St. Petersburg, where it participated in a mini-tournament with Zenit, Neftchi and Red Star. Bookmakers have identified the hosts as total favorites for the upcoming game, offering odds of 1.04 on their victory. Zimbru are eight-time champions of Moldova, but in recent years it is not this club that has ruled the ball in not the most football-friendly country in Europe. Last season the Chisinau team finished in third position, unable to compete with Sheriff and Petrocub. Zimbru started their journey in the Conference League in the first round of qualification, where they faced one of the weakest teams in the tournament - La Fiorita from San Marino. Despite the strength of their opponents, the Moldovan club failed to beat them away (1-1), but at home they defeated them 1-0, losing on a number of statistical indicators. The cost of Zimbru's main squad is 3.37 million euros, which is almost 55 times less than that of the upcoming opponent. By the way, 22 Fenerbahçe players have an individual transfer value higher than the entire Zimbru squad. The guests will be crushed under the onslaught of a more classy team.