Who will get the first victory?
A basement duel takes place in Group D between Fenerbahce and Antwerp. The home side are second from last and have at least already picked up a point with a draw in their opener against Eintracht from Frankfurt. The Belgians, on the other hand, have lost both their previous encounters with the Hessians and Greeks from Piraeus.
If they lose again, the group stage will be over for the oldest club in the country. For the match at the Ülker Stadyumu between Fenerbahce and Antwerp, the tip is for goals on both sides.
Fenerbahce – Statistics & current form
The kickers from the Bosporus had to settle for a draw against Frankfurt in their first group match. Despite a penalty in injury time, they were unable to claim victory and a goal that was also disallowed in extra time prevented a three-goal win.
The dramatic match on the Main obviously left its mark on Fener, because in the second group match against Olympiakos Piraeus, a clear 0:3 home defeat was conceded. The 19-time Süper Lig champions are now looking for their first win against the Belgians.
Last defeat in the league was against Trabzonspor
However, the dress rehearsal last Sunday was not successful: Coach Vitor Pereira’s team was beaten 3-1 by Trabzonspor in the top match. On the other hand, the defeat was unfortunate, as the opponent from the Black Sea only scored the two winning goals at the end of the game.
In addition, “Efsane” had to make do with only ten men after around 25 minutes due to a sending-off for South Korean defender Min-Jae Kim.
Last season’s third-placed team in the Süper Lig, however, can in principle regain hope in the Europa League thanks to an improved personnel situation. Serdar Dursun, last season’s top scorer in the Second Bundesliga, is now available again after recovering from injury.
The 29-year-old played for Darmstadt at the time and came to Istanbul on a free transfer from the Lilien. Another newcomer, Diego Rossi, is also getting into better and better form. The Uruguayan attacker was signed from Major League Soccer’s Los Angeles FC, and the attacker is clearly feeling at home at Fener.
In his six league games so far, he has not only scored two goals but also set up three goals for his new team-mates. Rossi also scored at least the Istanbul side’s consolation goal in the weekend defeat at Trabzonspor.
Will the hosts strike at least twice?
In view of the return of Dursun and the very good form of Rossi, the odds on at least two goals by the home side in the match between Fenerbahce and Antwerp are also interesting. This is also supported by the improving form of Enner Valencia – last year’s top scorer on Fener’s side.
The Ecuadorian striker scored no less than three of “La Tricolor’s” five goals in his national team’s three matches during the recent international break and has unquestionably regained confidence.
On top of that, the visitors’ defence is particularly vulnerable away from home: in their two previous visits in the Europa League qualifiers and group stage, the Belgians always conceded at least two goals, and in the match against the Cypriots from Nicosia, they even scored a whopping four!
Predicted Fenerbahce line-up:
Bayindir – Aziz – Luiz Gustavo – Szalai – Kadioglu – Sosa – Zajc – Rossi – Özil – Dursun – Valencia
Last matches played by Fenerbahce:
Süper Lig
10/17 2021 – Trabzonspor 3 – 1 Fenerbahçe
10/03 2021 – Fenerbahçe 2 – 1 Kasımpaşa
Europa League Grp. D
09/30 2021 – Fenerbahçe 0 – 3 Olympiakos Piraeus
Süper Lig
09/26 2021 – Hatayspor 1 – 2 Fenerbahçe
09/23 2021 – Fenerbahçe 2 – 1 Giresunspor
Antwerp – Statistics & current form
Last season Antwerp returned to the European stage after 25 years of abstinence. Their comeback saw them reach the group stage of the Europa League at the first attempt, although they did lose out to Rangers of Glasgow in the following round of 16.
In the current edition of the competition, the Red and Whites are performing much worse. After defeats against Olympiakos Piraeus and Eintracht Frankfurt, Antwerp are still empty-handed
Series of successes recently broken
In league play in the Jupiler League, however, the performances were mostly stable. However, a series of five wins in a row ended last weekend with a surprising defeat at Zulte-Waregem.
Nevertheless, they still occupy fourth place in the Belgian top flight, which puts the team of Danish coach Brian Priske on course for the four-team championship round they are aiming for again.
The fact that things are going quite well again in the domestic league for last year’s third-placed team is mainly due to a reliable offensive. Only the strong promotion team Union St. Gilloise from Brussels tops the previous record of 21 goals in eleven league games in a league-wide comparison!
Frey is unstoppable
In the attacking line Michael Frey stands out. The Swiss was brought in to replace the club’s top scorer Dieumerci Mbokani, who had left the club, and the ex-Nuremberg player has hit the ground running: with a dozen goals, Frey leads the scoring charts in the Jupiler League.
He is only two goals short of the tally he achieved in the entirety of last season with then-relegated Waasland-Beveren. In light of his enormous scoring prowess, the odds on his next goal celebration for “The Great Old” in the match between Fenerbahce and Antwerp are a good idea in parallel.
Former Red Devil Radja Nainggolan, who recently returned to his hometown from Italy and was forced to miss last weekend’s defeat due to an injury, is also available for the match.
Predicted line-up of Antwerp:
Butez – De Laet – Bataille – Buta – Benson – Coopman – Verstraete – Nainggolan – Samatta – Miyoshi – Frey
Last matches of Antwerp:
Jupiler Liga
10/16 2021 – SV Zulte Waregem 2 – 1 Antwerp
10/03 2021 – Antwerp 1 – 0 KAA Gent
Europa League Grp. D
09/30 2021 – Antwerp 0 – 1 Eintracht Frankfurt
Jupiler Liga
09/26 2021 – Royale Union Saint-Gilloise 1 – 2 Antwerp
09/22 2021 – Antwerp 4 – 2 KRC Genk
Fenerbahce – Antwerp Direct comparison / H2H balance
Fenerbahce vs Antwerp is going up for the first time. The odds for the debut assign the home side the role of favourites
Fenerbahce – Antwerp Tip
Fenerbahce lost the top spot in the Süper Lig to Trabsozonspor last weekend, as the direct comparison ended in a 1:3 defeat. However, the result belonged to the category of an unfortunate defeat. For the match between Fenerbahce and Antwerp, betting on a mutual goal celebration seems lucrative.
Six of the hosts’ last eight matches have ended in such a fixture, and the visitors’ powerful attack is an argument for at least one goal from the Belgians. With Michael Frey, the current top scorer in the domestic Jupiler League, the team from the Scheldt has a very accurate player.
At the same time, Fener can call on the recovered former top scorer of last season in the Second Bundesliga Serdar Dursun after overcoming recovery. First and foremost, however, the starting position of the match should also be conducive to goals.
Both teams will have to play for a win if they want to survive the winter in the Europa League. Against this background, an open exchange of blows can be expected. At 888 Sport, betting odds of 1.78 can be used for the prediction of the clash between Fenerbahce and Antwerp.
