Both dugouts have been making headlines of late, with Mourinho embroiled in a row with city rivals Galatasaray over his conduct in the 0-0 derby draw in late February. Rangers pulled the plug on Phillipe Clement’s reign two weeks ago and brought in playing legend Barry Ferguson, who has never managed in a top flight prior to this stint as caretaker manager.
While Mourinho’s side are in electric form, having not lost a match since early December, Ferguson has had a rollercoaster start to his caretaker role. Rangers have gone 2-0 down in both of Ferguson’s league matches so far, and although he managed to win 4-2 in his first match at Kilmarnock, Rangers suffered their third successive defeat at Ibrox against Motherwell at the weekend. The famous stands of Ibrox emptied early on for the third straight match as Rangers lost to Queen’s Park, St Mirren and Motherwell on home turf, the first time Rangers have lost 3 in a row at Ibrox since 2012. Should Mourinho win at Ibrox next week, it will be the first time in the club’s 153 year history that they have lost 4 in a row at home.
Fenerbahçe have hit their groove at the right time, going almost four months without tasting defeat now after a sluggish start to the season. Table toppers Galatasaray came up short away at Kasimpasa in a 3-3 draw in the early game on Sunday, and having received this news Fener put Antalyaspor to the sword in a 3-0 win, scoring three goals in the first half an hour. This has reduced the gap at the top of the Super Lig to just 4 points, with Gala facing away trips at 3rd and 4th place in their next 4 games. Fener’s attention now turns to the Europa League, and with both teams famously enjoying big home advantage in European competition, they will be hoping to turn in a similar performance to the Anderlecht home leg before heading to Ibrox.
Team News
Fenerbahçe:
- Fred and Osayi-Samuel are suspended after accumulating yellow cards earlier in the tournament.
- January signing Diego Carlos has picked up a knee injury, while experienced CDM Ismael Yuksek has picked up a new injury. Oosterwalde and Becao remain out with long term injuries.
- Szymanski, Amrabat and Kostic are expected to make up the middle of the pitch for Fenerbahce.
Rangers:
- Key defenders Souttar, Sterling and Balogun have all returned to training ahead of Fenerbahce. Oscar Cortes remains injured and is not included in the EL squad.
- Attackers Danilo and Hagi have been added to the Europa League squad, but Danilo is unlikely to be match fit.
- Rangers are without injury concerns for the first time all season, and should be able to field a very experienced backline containing Tavernier, Balogun and Souttar. Either Igamane or Dessers are expected to lead the line as Rangers revert to a more conservative formation.
Stats Watch
- The sides have met on just two occasions, with a two-legged Champions League qualifier going Fenerbahçe’s way in 2001. Rangers have faced Turkish opposition 7 times in the 21st Century, winning just 2 of these matches and scoring 8 goals in the process. They did however win their most recent match against a Turkish side, knocking Galatasaray out in the Europa League qualifiers during 2020 in an empty Ibrox.
- Fenerbahçe have only faced two Scottish sides, playing Rangers in 2001 and Celtic in 2015. Both group stage matches against Celtic ended in draws, while Fener edged Rangers 2-1 in Istanbul in 2001 to proceed to the Champions League group stages.
- Despite his long storied career as a manager, Jose Mourinho has faced Scottish opposition just once. His Porto side got the better of Celtic in a 3-2 victory in the 2003 UEFA Cup Final. This match is Barry Ferguson’s first taste of European football as a manager.
- Fenerbahçe have lost only two of their last 11 UEFA competition matches (W3 D6) and have lost only two of their last 21 UEFA competition home matches (W15 D4).
- Rangers have not lost the first leg in their last five UEFA competition two-legged ties (W1 D4).
- Youssef En-Nesyri has scored in Fenerbahçe’s last three Europa League matches.
As Fenerbahçe and Rangers prepare for their Europa League Round of 16 clash, the stage is set for a captivating encounter. Fenerbahçe, under José Mourinho's guidance, have been in formidable form, boasting an 18-match unbeaten streak. In contrast, Rangers, now led by caretaker manager Barry Ferguson, are in disarray after a series of home defeats. The Turkish side's home advantage and strong attacking prowess positions them as favorites. However, Rangers' resilience and the unpredictable nature of European competitions ensure that this tie remains open, promising an exciting contest for football enthusiasts.