Prediction, Odds & Betting Tips for Feyenoord vs. Fenerbahce at UEFA Champions League
Prediction, Odds & Betting Tips for Feyenoord vs. Fenerbahce at UEFA Champions League
The Dutch powerhouse faces Jose Mourinho and his Fenerbahce in the Champions League qualifiers. This is by far the most interesting matchup in this round, as both sides aim to reach the UCL, and losing this one would be a disaster. The pressure is high for both sides involved, and there are no distinct favorites here. Overall, the chances of advancing to the next round are 50-50.
Feyenoord
Former European champions had a busy summer, playing five friendly games, yet winning just the first one. After beating Cambuur 4-1 at the start of their preseason preparations, they had a tie against Royale USG 1-1, followed by three consecutive losses.
The first was against Gent, 1-2, then against Nice with the same result, before the non-starters lost to Austrian lower-tier club, Liefereing, 2-0. Not a very encouraging stretch of results, but not particularly worrying either. A win here will erase all of this.
The Rotterdammers had a busy transfer window, with a few players leaving the team, the most notable being Antoni Milambo, who went to Brentford. On the other side, there were quite a few arrivals, and we can say that Feyenoord looks the same as last year.
Fenerbahce
Jose Mourinho landed some big-time names in Istanbul, and the only question is whether he has enough time to create chemistry before Champions League qualifiers start. Milan Skriniar, Nelson Semedo, and John Duran all signed with Fener this summer.
The Turkish powerhouse had five friends at the time we wrote this preview. In four of them, they came out victorious, while the only loss was to Benfica, 3-2. Meanwhile, the most recent triumph was over Lazio, 1-0.
Like usual, defense is the primary weapon for Mourinho, as Fener kept clean sheets in three of the previous four meetings. He now has players who are quick and able to strike on counterattacks, plus his defense is much stronger than it was at the start of the summer.
Feyenoord: Bijlow; Smal, Plug, Watanage, Lotomba; Moder, Hwang; Moussa, Steijn, Sliti; Ueda
Fenerbahce: Livakovic; Brown, Skriniar, Soyuncu, Semedo; Amrabat, Fred, Dhuran, Kahveci, Szymanski; En Nesyri
The two sides last met in 2018. It was a friendly game that saw 6 goals, with the final score 3-3. Previously, in the 2016 Europa League group stage, Fener beat Feyenoord in both events with the same result, 1-0.
Mourinho will be cautious here and try to slow down the game’s tempo. We are all familiar with his style in elimination matchups. On the other hand, Feyenoord lacks the firepower to break Fener’s defense and impose its own style of play. We aren’t saying they can’t win, but for sure, they won’t be able to dominate Fener. That’s why our pick here is a moderate efficiency, meaning 2 or 3 goals.
Our verdict: 2 or 3 goals.