Fenerbahçe one match away from Champions League

ISTANBUL

(AA photo)

Fenerbahçe stands on the precipice of ending a long Champions League exile on Aug. 26, needing a victory against Olympique Lyonnais to return to Europe’s elite competition in what club officials regard as a pivotal season.

The Istanbul club has not featured in the Champions League main stage since the 2008–2009 season, enduring nearly two decades of heartbreak in qualifying rounds. That long drought has turned Aug. 26’s playoff second leg into a watershed moment for the club, which seeks both the prestige and financial windfall of the competition.

The tie remains deadlocked following a 1-1 draw in Istanbul last week. With UEFA no longer using the away-goals rule, a victory by either side at Parc Olympique Lyonnais will secure passage, while a draw after 90 minutes will send the match into extra time.

Fenerbahçe enters the contest following a 4-2 domestic victory over Konyaspor at the weekend, but coach İsmail Kartal pointed to the stark contrast in pre-match preparations between the two sides. While Lyon rested its entire starting lineup during weekend action, Kartal was forced to manage heavy workloads and a mounting fixture list.

“All of our hope is pinned on passing this round,” Kartal said following the Konyaspor match.
“Our opponent made a 100 percent rotation in their league match by resting all 11 players. We will make use of every player available to us and play to advance.”

Fenerbahçe will be missing two key names in its squad: Spanish midfielder Marco Asensio is out for at least a week with a left leg injury, and winger Kerem Aktürkoğlu has entered the concussion protocol and will be unavailable for at least 10 days.

Despite missing key players, Fenerbahçe’s objective is to finally reclaim its place among Europe’s elite.

On the other hand, Lyon’s last appearance in the Champions League came back in 2019, when it went all the way to the semifinals before losing to eventual winner Bayern Munich, but the French side has recently shown signs of a revival.

Slowly emerging from financial strife, Les Gones finished fourth in Ligue 1 last season and reached the Europa League’s last 16 under Paulo Fonseca.

Fonseca, who has led the likes of Shakhtar Donetsk and Roma on long continental adventures, also steered his team past Sparta Prague in this season’s third qualifying round.

Though much has changed since it dominated French football, history will be on Lyon’s side, having won five of their last six two-legged ties in Champions League qualifying.
Lyon also defeated Fenerbahçe four times in the now-defunct group stage, before the pair played out a goalless draw in the 2024-2025 Europa League.