Fenerbahce v Monaco: Champions League preview

Jeremain Lens

Fenerbahce take on Monaco at the Şükrü Saracoğlu stadium in their first-leg Champions League 3. Round qualification game.

The Yellow Canaries will be without manager Vitor Pereira who is currently serving a touchline ban and will also be missing six players.

Volkan Demirel, İsmail Köybaşı and Robin van Persie are expected to miss the tie due to injury. Meanwhile Volkan Sen, Alper Potuk and Mehmet Topal are out suspended after being sent off against Benfica on 30 April 2016 in their last Europa League clash.

Fenerbahce will have summer signings Martin Skrtel, Roman Neustadter, Gregory van der Wiel and Aatif Chahechouhe available.

Salih Ucan who was on loan at Roma last season and Emenike who was on a temporary move at West Ham are both back and expected to start.

Fenerbahce are expected to go into the clash with that is essentially a new backline. Srktel, Neustadter and Van der Wiel have had just a few weeks to gel and this could end up proving to be the home sides Achilles heel.

Neither Monaco nor Fenerbahce would have wanted to play such an important game at such an early stage but complaining will not change anything.

Fenerbahce have a great home record and a boisterous crowd could catch Monaco off guard considering quite a few players were on holiday not too long ago.

The big question as far as Fenerbahce are concerned is their defence. The Yellow Canaries have enough firepower to cause Monaco problems but it is difficult seeing how their own defence will cope.

Prediction: Over 2.5 goals

 

FENERBAHÇE-MONACO

Stadium: Ülker Stadyumu
Referee: Jesus Gil Manzano
Kick-Off: 19:30 GMT

FENERBAHÇE: Fabiano, Kjaer, Skrtel, Neustadter, Van der Wiel, De Souza, Ozan Tufan, Salih Uçan, Hasan Ali Kaldırım, Emenike, Fernandao
Manager: Vitor Pereira

MONACO: Morgan de Sanctis, Fabinho, Sidibe, Mendy, Jemerson, Raggi, Silva, Lemar, Bakayoko, Falcao, Valere Germain
Manager: Leonardo Jardim