Turkish teams in Europa League looking for first wins
TRABZON/ISTANBUL
The three Turkish teams in the second-tier European competition will play at home to achieve their first wins in the group stage following disappointing starts
All three Turkish teams in the UEFA Europa League will be out against tough rivals on Oct. 25 to make a change following their disappointing performances in the first two games.
Encouraged by a 4-1 home win against Gaziantep in the domestic league, Trabzonspor will host Russia’s Krasnodar in their first Group C clash.
The Turkish club drew 2-2 at home to Basel on matchday two after opening the section with a 1-0 loss at Getafe and is looking for a first win. Getafe leads the group thanks to a perfect start as Base follows from two points behind.
Krasnodar, for its side, is looking for its first points in the second-tier European competition.
Beşiktaş, one of Istanbul’s big three, is looking for a way out of dark days and fans hope a change in the chairman seat of the team will motivate the team which is only one point above the relegation line in the Turkish Süper Lig and lost the first two games in the Europa League’s Group K.
Beşiktaş surrendered the lead and conceded two added-time goals in going down 4-2 at Slovan Bratislava on matchday one, and there was more late woe two weeks later in Istanbul as they allowed Premier League’s Wolverhampton to pilfer the only goal of the game in the 93rd minute.
Beşiktaş’s new chair Ahmet Nur Çebi, who was elected on Oct. 20 to replace resigned Fikret Orman, has said that he will stand by coach Abdullah Avcı at least until the winter break.
Still, Avcı, appointed on a three-year contract in May 2019 to replace Şenol Güneş, who had left to take charge of the Turkish national side, feels the heat amid growing impatience among fans.
Beşiktaş will host Galatasaray in an Istanbul derby, and consecutive point drops might cost Avcı his seat.
Braga shares the driver’s seat with Bratislava with four points, as Wolves follows from one point behind.
Avcı’s former team Başakşehir has also made a bad start to Group J and is three points behind Austrian side Wolfsberg, which conversely is enjoying a dream debut on their first appearance in a UEFA group stage as it visits Istanbul.
The teams could hardly have had more contrasting fortunes on matchday one as the Turkish club lost 4-0 at Roma while an inspired Wolfsberg won at Borussia Mönchengladbach by the same score. A pair of 1-1 draws followed a fortnight later, Başakşehir conceding a late equalizer at home to Gladbach and Wolfsberg coming from behind against Roma.
The Austrian and Italian representatives of the group share the same four points.
