Football Predictions
Fenerbahçe welcomes Maribor in Istanbul on Thursday in the first leg of the third qualifying round of the Conference League.
It’s been a long time since Turkish teams thrived in Europe but with an additional competition by UEFA, there is a feeling that they can match some of Europe’s teams and go all the way to the final. Fenerbahçe began this year’s Conference League qualifying campaign in the second round where they Zimbru 9-0 on aggregate but come against a team that previously featured in the Champions League too.
Maribor have participated in Conference League qualifying in each of the last two seasons. The Purples entered the competition in the first qualifying round in the 2021/22 season and failed to progress beyond the second round. Last year Damir Krznar’s side were eliminated in the Play-off round.
H2H/Stats
This is the first time that both teams will be meeting in a competitive game.
Team News
Hosts Fenerbahçe are set to be without the services of Miguel Crespo who only played 33 minutes in the 4-0 win over Zimbru before being substituted. While the club is set to asses him prior to the game, it is highly unlikely that he will start the match if he will be considered fit to feature.
Others who will be missed by the hosts include midfielder Lincoln (cruciate ligament tear), center-back Alexander Djiku (ankle), midfielder Mert Hakan Yandas (ankle), and right-back Emre Mor (knee) while Cagtay Kurukalip, Serdar Dursun, Emre Demir, Nazim Sangaré, Jin-ho Jo, Gustavo Henrique and Melih Bostan, are ineligible for the Conference League qualifiers.
Maribor received at least four yellow cards for the second game in a row in their 4-3 win over FC Differdange 03. Gregor Sikosek and Ignacio Guerrico are struggling with knee injuries that have caused them to miss the last 24 and 7 games respectively, and are expected to miss this match as well.
Probable Line-Ups
Fenerbahce XI: Bayındır, Peres, Aziz, Osayi-Samuel, Yandaş, Yüksek, Kahveci, Kadioglu, Tadić, King, Batshuayi
Maribor XI: Ažbe Jug, Uskoković, Urata, Watson, Milec, Lorber, Laušić, Repas, Brnić, Jakupovic, Kolar
Verdict
Fenerbahce might have fallen down the pecking order but they still possess one of the best teams in Europe with the kind of names at their disposal. They have players who want to prove themselves again in Europe and this might just work in their favour against opponents like Maribor.
Bet on Fenerbahce win✅
Place your bet here 👉 Melbet, Mozzartbet
Extra tips 👇
We’ve got more bold picks from different matches with all of the permutations and possible outcomes in mind.
Below are the most popular fixtures from TopbetsKE with favourites indicated in bold and feature fixtures linked to our expert betting tips.
We also have Both Team To Score, Over 2.5 Market and a safe bet of Over 1.5.
1X2 Market
- Boca Juniors v Nacional❌
- Qarabag v HJK✅
- Santa Coloma v AZ✅
BTTS
- Sheriff v BATE Borisov✅
- Olympiacos v Genk❌
- Aris v Dynamo Kyiv❌
Over 2.5
- Palmeiras v Atletico-MG❌
- Zalgiris v Hacken✅
- Slavia Praha v Dnipro✅
Safe bet – Over 1.5
- Olympiacos v Genk❌
- Bodo v Pyunik✅
- Omonia v Midtjylland❌
Check out our Jackpot predictions.
A creative and driven journalist with 10+ years of experience with an excellent track record in digital media. A lover of grassroots football, football statistics, and life-changing football stories.