Fenerbahçe's Champions League test: Sturm Graz at Kadıköy on Wednesday night
Fenerbahçe host Sturm Graz at the Chobani Stadium at 21:00 on Wednesday 5 August in the first leg of the Champions League third qualifying round. The return is in Austria on 11 August.
The third act of Fenerbahçe's Champions League journey opens. The yellow-and-navies host the Austrian side Sturm Graz at the Chobani Stadium at 21:00 on Wednesday 5 August in the first leg of the third qualifying round. The match is live on tv100; the return leg is in Graz on Tuesday 11 August.
Fenerbahçe reached this round by seeing off Górnik Zabrze 2-1 on aggregate. Having won the first leg 1-0 at Kadıköy, they went ahead in Poland through Anderson Talisca's penalty on 12 minutes; the hosts equalised in stoppage time for 1-1, and Fenerbahçe went through. The team began preparations for Sturm Graz on 30 July.
The opposition analysis demands respect: Sturm Graz eliminated the Scottish side Hearts 6-0 on aggregate in the second qualifying round, winning 4-0 at home and 2-0 away. Seidl and Soglo scored in the return leg. An opponent that scored six without conceding across two matches has the capacity to change the paper balance of this tie.
The winner advances to the play-off round, the final step before the league phase. Playing the first leg at Kadıköy gives Fenerbahçe the chance to build a lead with their supporters behind them; but with the return away, a decisive result on Wednesday night matters all the more.
FutbolRadar's assessment: for a Fenerbahçe side that managed only two goals across the Górnik tie, attacking efficiency is the key to this round. Sturm Graz's form in qualifying rules out any reading of them as an easy opponent. A convincing win at Kadıköy would substantially reduce the pressure of the return in Graz.