Fenerbahce vs Lugano

Sukru Saracoglu Stadium sets the stage for the return leg of an enthralling Champions League qualifying tie between Fenerbahce and Lugano.

Despite failing to land their first Super Lig title since 2013/14 last term, a runner-up finish means Fenerbahce could reach the Champions League proper for the first time since 2008/09. Led by serial winner Jose Mourinho, the Turkish giants are one step away from securing a berth in the third qualifying round for the first time since 2018/19 following a goal-glutted 4-3 first-leg win last week. However, the ‘Special One’ knows better than to underestimate his opposition after painting his touchline debut with flying colors. Mourinho can draw confidence from Fenerbahce’s formidable home form on the continental front, with the Yellow Canaries losing just once across their last 14 European outings at the Sukru Saracoglu Stadium (W12, D1, L1).

Meanwhile, Lugano fought stoically in the first leg, yet their hopes of progression are in tatters after dropping an early lead in a Swedish-staged contest last week. Quick to recover from that mental blow, Mattia Croci-Torti’s team netted on either side of halftime to dispatch fierce domestic rivals Basel 2-1 at the weekend and maintain a 100% start to their new Swiss Super League campaign (W2). Connoisseurs of action-packed football will hope Lugano’s fourth competitive game this season can feature over 2.5 goals and ‘both teams to score,’ just as the previous three. Since two of their three matches in last season’s Europ Conference League group stages produced at least five goals, it’s only natural to assume another high-scoring contest could be in store.