Both looking to earn their maiden wins of the revamped League Phase of the competition, Besiktas and Eintracht Frankfurt will lock horns in the Europa League on Thursday night.
The Black Eagles endured a challenging start to their continental quest for glory, whilst Die Adler were involved in a dramatic share of the spoils in Germany.
Match preview
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Beating Swiss outfit Lugano in the playoff round of qualification, Besiktas secured their spot in the League Phase of the revamped Europa League this season, although their maiden outing in the tournament did not go to plan at the home of a Dutch giant last Thursday.
A brilliant brace from Mika Godts - alongside strikes either side of the half-time whistle from Kian Fitz-Jim and Kenneth Taylor - propelled Eredivisie powerhouses Ajax to a four-goal victory over the Black Eagles in Amsterdam, meaning that they were the biggest losers during the opening gameweek.
Since that sobering defeat in the Netherlands last week, Besiktas have returned to Turkish Super Lig action in sensational fashion, with a Ciro Immobile double and a second-period effort from former Tottenham Hotspur star Gedson Fernandes sealing a 3-0 victory away at Kayserispor.
Approaching the October international break, the Black Eagles currently occupy third position in the Super Lig standings behind arch rivals Galatasaray and Fenerbahce, with Giovanni van Bronckhorst's troops yet to taste defeat on the domestic scene after six top-flight contests.
![Eintracht Frankfurt coach Dino Toppmoller in training on August 15, 2024 [on August 17, 2024]](https://sm.imgix.net/24/33/dino-toppmoller.jpg?w=640&h=480&auto=compress,format&fit=clip "Eintracht Frankfurt coach Dino Toppmoller in training on August 15, 2024 [on August 17, 2024]")
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Aiming to repeat their Europa League campaign of 2021-22 - in which they bested Scottish giants Rangers in the final to lift UEFA's second-tier crown - Eintracht Frankfurt commenced their latest continental adventure with an exciting share of the spoils against Viktoria Plzen last week.
Courtesy of strikes from Hugo Ekitike, Eric Ebimbe and Rasmus Kristensen, Die Adler found themselves 3-1 ahead in the contest heading into the final five minutes of normal time, before efforts from Prince Adu and Vaclav Jemelka snatched a point for the visitors from the Czech Republic.
Eintracht Frankfurt did not allow the disappointment of last Thursday to impact their mission to challenge at the top end of the Bundesliga, though, with Thursday's visitors to Turkey securing a 4-2 win over newly-promoted Holstein Kiel on Sunday, with Omar Marmoush picking up four goal contributions.
Following their defeat at Signal Iduna Park to Champions League finalists Borussia Dortmund on the opening weekend of the Bundesliga campaign, Die Adler have enjoyed a five-game unbeaten run across the German top flight and Europa League, including back-to-back away successes.
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Team News
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Besiktas remain without the services of Necip Uysal, with the centre-back out until early November due to a troubling ligament issue sustained in September.
There could be some major alterations to the Black Eagles side following their loss at Ajax last week, with the likes of Immobile and Cher Ndour pushing for Europa League starts.
Finding the net last Thursday against Viktoria Plzen, Ekitike has since picked up a leg injury and will be sidelined until the end of October.
The early stages of Oscar Hojlund's career for Die Adler have been blighted by injury, with the Dane currently in the medical room with a broken ankle.
Eintracht Frankfurt remain without the services of youngster Mehdi Loune, who is targeting a return at the end of October from a cruciate ligament injury.
Besiktas possible starting lineup:
Gunok; Svensson, Paulista, Uduokhai, Masuaku; Onana, Al Musrati; Rashica, Fernandes, Ndour; Immobile
Eintracht Frankfurt possible starting lineup:
Kaua; Kristensen, Tuta, Theate, Nkounkou; Knauff, Dahoud, Skhiri, Bahoya; Marmoush, Matanovic
We say: Besiktas 1-1 Eintracht Frankfurt
With home advantage, Besiktas should be confident of recording a positive result on Thursday night, regardless of their horror show in Amsterdam last week.
On the other hand, Eintracht Frankfurt are in the midst of an impressive unbeaten streak and will not expect to break it in Turkey, so we are predicting a split of the points.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Carter White
