Prediction: Fenerbahce vs Anderlecht

Verdict: Home win

Best odds: 1/2

Bookmaker: Olympusbet

Jose Mourinho’s Fenerbahce host Anderlecht at the Sukru Saracoglu Stadium on Thursday evening in the Europa League play-off round.

The Turkish giants narrowly secured their spot in the top 24 on matchday eight and will need to raise their level if they hope to advance to the last 16.

Fenerbahce

Suggesting that a team unbeaten in 12 games and victorious in eight of their last 10 home matches is underperforming might seem unusual, but for Fenerbahce, it could hold some truth.

With heavy investment in the squad and an iconic manager at the helm, domestic dominance is expected. However, their European campaign has fallen short of expectations.

Touted as a contender for the top eight, Fenerbahce only just secured a playoff spot, finishing 24th—the final unseeded position—by edging out Elfsborg and Braga on goal difference after a 2-2 draw with Midtjylland on matchday eight.

That result extended their winless European run to three matches, following just one point earned from home fixtures against Athletic Bilbao and Lyon. However, their domestic form has picked up since the Denmark trip, with three straight victories over Rizespor, Erzurumspor, and Alanyaspor, netting 10 goals and advancing in the Turkish Cup.

This clash with Anderlecht carries even greater significance for their season, and Mourinho will look to use his European expertise to reverse a poor run of four defeats in their last six first-leg ties.

The two sides last met in this competition in 2018, with Fenerbahce winning 2-0. Anderlecht, still searching for their first goal away to the Turkish giants, will be hoping to break that trend on their fourth visit.

Team News

Fenerbahce were active in the January transfer window, strengthening their squad with the arrivals of Anderson Talisca, Milan Skriniar, and Juventus loanee Filip Kostic—all of whom have been added to their Europa League squad.

However, due to UEFA’s squad registration rules, other new signings like Diego Carlos and Ognjen Mimovic, as well as the in-form Oguz Aydin, miss out.

On a positive note, Sofyan Amrabat and Bright Osayi-Samuel return from European suspensions, while Youssef En-Nesyri is also available after missing the weekend win over Alanyaspor due to a domestic ban. The Moroccan striker is just one goal away from equaling Fenerbahce’s record for most goals in a single European campaign (five), and given his red-hot form – 14 goals in his last 11 games – he will be confident of reaching that milestone in this crucial first leg.

Mourinho faces a defensive crisis ahead of Fenerbahce’s Europa League play-off first leg against Anderlecht, with several key players sidelined. First-choice goalkeeper Dominik Livakovic is unavailable, adding to the list of absentees that includes defenders Rodrigo Becao, Jayden Oosterwolde, Alexander Djiku, Mert Muldur, and Caglar Soyuncu—who had to be withdrawn just 10 minutes into the weekend’s game.

Anderlecht

The stronger European form between these teams belongs to Anderlecht, who finished four points and 14 places ahead of Fenerbahce in the league phase, thanks to a blistering start that saw them collect 14 points from their first six games.

David Hubert’s men did stumble in their final two matches, losing 2-0 away to Viktoria Plzen and 4-3 at home to Hoffenheim, forcing them into the play-offs to reach the last 16. However, their overall away performances in the competition should provide confidence, as the loss in Czechia was their only defeat on the road, with seven points taken from their other three away fixtures.

Anderlecht arrive in Turkey following a strong week domestically. They booked their place in the Belgian Cup final by edging past Antwerp 3-2 on aggregate and followed that up with a 2-0 league victory over the same opponents. However, their title hopes are fading, as they currently sit 15 points behind leaders Genk, leaving European qualification as their primary focus.

Team News

Anderlecht are also without one of their key defenders, as Jan Vertonghen remains sidelined with a long-term ankle injury, but Moussa N’Diaye will return after being suspended for the clash with Antwerp at the weekend.

Sam Edozie has been absent since mid-January with a muscular problem, but Kasper Dolberg made his first start in a month and netted both of the goals in that success against Antwerp.

Dolberg’s saw two of his Danish compatriots leave in January though, as Anders Dreyer and Zanka moved to MLS, but the club have added regular starters Adryelson, Cesar Huerta and Lucas Hey to their Europa League squad.

Conclusion

Fenerbahce know they can do much better than what they showed in the league phase, and after some eye-catching signings in January, Mourinho’s men should still be considered as one of the favourites if they can navigate this tie successfully.

Anderlecht’s league phase campaign unravelled right at the business end when they really should have sealed a direct spot in the last 16, and this is a very tough assignment for the visitors, who could face an uphill task when they take the Turks back to Belgium next week.

Verdict: Home win

Best odds: 1/2

Bookmaker: Olympusbet