Fenerbahce – Benfica

The guests will take a positive result from the match in Istanbul.

A little over a year ago, Istanbul's Fenerbahçe, trying to break Galatasaray's dominance on the Turkish football scene, took extreme measures by signing a two-year contract with José Mourinho. The Portuguese maestro's recent projects had invariably failed, so the Istanbul club seemed like a good option for him. The first year at the helm of Fenerbahçe brought many emotions related to Mourinho but did not add a single trophy to the club's museum. The current season is crucial for the tandem of Fenerbahçe and Mourinho. Its start in the Champions League qualification was quite bright however, the first round of the Turkish championship immediately brought some disappointment to the capital team. Benfica is an experienced European competitor. The Lisbon club participated in the Round of 16 of the last Champions League in 2025 and performed respectably at the Club World Cup, where they were eliminated after facing the future tournament champion, Chelsea. Bookmakers did not establish a favourite for the upcoming match, offering equal odds for both opponents. Fenerbahçe, in the off-season, granted free agent status to a large number of players, including Džeko and Tadić. In place of those who had exhausted their potential in Istanbul, some very decent footballers were signed for either free or modest amounts by today's standards. The Fenerbahçe squad has been bolstered by John Duran, Sofyan Amrabat, Milan Škriniar, Nelson Semedo, and Archie Brown. In the first match of the Champions League qualification, which was also the first official match of the season, Fenerbahçe lost in a balanced contest against Feyenoord. However, the Istanbul club transformed the return match into a real spectacle, managing to decisively tip the scales of competition in their favour. Over the past weekend, Fenerbahçe drew with Göztepe - 0:0. Benfica was also active in the transfer market during the off-season, both spending and earning around 70-80 million euros on transfers. As evidenced by the first round of Champions League qualification involving the 'Eagles', the club's efforts to strengthen its squad proved effective. Nice was defeated 2-0 both at home and away. Benfica is a highly dangerous opponent for Fenerbahçe. It is unlikely that the hosts will achieve victory in Istanbul.