Turkish teams in action in Europa League playoffs

Four Turkish football teams will take the field for UEFA Europa League playoff qualifying round first leg matches on Thursday.

2000 UEFA Cup champion Galatasaray will host Estonia's Levadia Tallinn at 9:45 p.m., while its Istanbul rival Fenerbahçe plays an away game with Swiss team Sion at 9:30 p.m.

Trabzonspor will host French team Toulouse at Hüseyin Avni Aker Stadium at 7:45 p.m. and Sivasspor will entertain Ukraine's Shakhtar Donetsk at 9 p.m.

Galatasaray fans have been enjoying a good start to the season, with the team advancing two rounds in the Europe League and wining both games in the Turkcell Super League. Their expectations are high against Tallinn, but the coach is more cautious.

“Tomorrow’s game is very important to us as our rival has completed half of its national league,” Galatasaray coach Frank Rijkaard told a press conference Wednesday morning. “We will be playing against a very organized team, which is unbeaten in the league, but I don’t think we will have much problem if we do our jobs in the best way possible.”

The Dutchman recalled the games against Tobol, which Galatasaray played in the first qualifying round in July and drew one, won one, and warned his players not to repeat the same mistakes.

Another excitement for the fans is Brazilian midfielder Elano Blumer, who has yet to make his debut for the Istanbul team. The ex-Manchester-city player might play for some time against Tallinn, according to Rijkaard. “He cannot play for 90 minutes, but it is good news to us that he will be in the squad.”

Fenerbahçe without Alex

While Galatasaray awaits Elano’s debut, Fenerbahçe will be missing the services of Brazilian midfielder Alex against Sion. Alex will be out of action for at least for two weeks after tearing a calf muscle during the early stages of Sunday's 3-0 Turkcell Super League victory against Sivasspor.

Alex had a similar injury last season and the club's medical staff fear he could be out for up to a month, ruling the 31-year-old playmaker out of Fenerbahçe's UEFA Europa League playoff matches at the very least. Turkish international Semih Şentürk, meanwhile, is doubtful for the first leg in Geneva as he continues to recover from a foot injury.

In more positive news for Christoph Daum's side, Uruguayan international defender Diego Lugano has agreed to a new four-year deal, following the expiration of his contract at the end of June.

"I am honored by how much they wanted to keep me," said the 28-year-old, who joined Fenerbahçe in 2006. "The attitude of Fenerbahçe fans and the fact that my family loves Turkey affected my decision. It was one of the most important decisions of my career. I have no doubt that during the next four years we will lift important trophies." Fenerbahçe has started the season in positive fashion, winning both its league matches as well as seeing off Budapest Honved 6-2 on aggregate in the UEFA Europa League third qualifying round.

In Sivas, Champions League knock-out Sivasspor will host Shakhtar Donetsk, the 2009 UEFA Cup winner.

Mircea Lucescu's side comes into the competition after losing its UEFA Champions League third qualifying round tie to Timisoara, and now faces a return to Turkey, the scene of its UEFA Cup triumph in Istanbul in May.

Winning the UEFA Cup was Shakhtar's greatest triumph and a first European title for a Ukrainian club since the country's independence in 1992. But its lofty ambitions of joining Europe's elite at the top table will now have to go down another route after the club’s Champions League qualifying dampener.

In Trabzon, it will be a fierce clash between Trabzonspor and French Toulouse as the home team will try to make peace with its fans after losing 2-1 at home to minnow Diyarbakırspor last weekend.

The ties are to be played over two legs Thursday and Aug. 27, but as Shakhtar is due to play the UEFA Super Cup match in Monaco on Aug.28 against Barcelona, UEFA has decided the second leg of the playoff against Sivasspor will take place on Tuesday, Aug. 25.