Moroccan Youssef En Nesyri is going straight into Fenerbahce’s starting line up when the Turkish Super League giants host Switzerland’s Lugano in a crunch Uefa Champions League return leg qualifier in Istanbul.
The Qatar 2022 World Cup star was signed from Sevilla for €20m, the very day Jose Mourinho’s side won the first leg 4-3 courtesy of an Eden Dzeko hat trick. En Nesyri is expected to be paired with Dzeko as Mourinho who twice won the Champions League with Porto (2004) and Inter Milan (2010) aims to wrap up qualification for the next round.
Two more summer arrivals – Frenchman Allan Saint Maximin and Turkish international Caglar Soyuncu are in contention to get playing time after signing for the Istanbul club. Maximin has been recruited on a pricey £8m loan from Saudi Arabia’s Al Ahli while FA Cup winning former Leicester City defender Soyuncu has arrived from Atletico Madrid.
Swedish champions Malmo travel to Faroe Islands in pole position to qualify for the next round after obliterating Klaksvik 4-1 in the first leg. Hungary’s Ferencvaros are in equally commanding position when they travel to The New Saints of Wales thanks to a 5-0 win in the first leg.
Elsewhere, Azerbaijan’s Qarabag defend a 2-0 lead at home to Gibraltar’s Lincoln Red Imps, Czechia’s Sparta Prague carry a two goal cushion to Republic of Ireland’s Shamrock Rovers and Slovakia’s Slovan Bratislava host Slovenians Cejle with the tie delicately poised at 1-1.
CHAMPIONS LEAGUE
Qarabag v Lincoln Red Imps (2-0),
Fenerbahce v Lugano (4-3),
Petrocub v APOEL Nicosia (0-1),
Sparta Prague v Shamrock Rovers (2-0),
The New Saints v Ferencvaros (0-5),
Slovan Bratislava v Cejle (1-1),
Klaksvik v Malmo (1-4)
