Fenerbahçe seek Champions League reset against Slavia Prague

Seeking to rebuild momentum following a painful European setback, Fenerbahçe host Czech champions Slavia Prague in Istanbul Tuesday evening in the third matchday of the UEFA Champions League league phase.

Both sides enter the clash searching for their first victory of the 2026-27 European campaign. Fenerbahçe hold one point from their opening two fixtures, having drawn 1-1 at home against Roma before suffering a heavy 6-0 defeat away to Aston Villa.

Slavia Prague remain without a point after dropping a 3-2 home decision to Lens and falling 2-0 on the road against Sabah.

The Turkish hosts are aiming to move past their setback at Villa Park, where Johan Manzambi opened the scoring before Nicolas Jackson and Ross Barkley each scored twice, with Tammy Abraham completing the victory.

Despite their European stumble, Fenerbahçe arrive in strong domestic form. Ismail Kartal’s squad is unbeaten in its last four Turkish Süper Lig matches, scoring 14 goals while keeping four consecutive clean sheets. The run includes 3-0 victories over Rizespor and Alanyaspor, an 8-0 win against Eyüpspor, and a goalless draw with Gaziantep.

“The Aston Villa match was a bad match for us,” Kartal said during Monday’s prematch press conference. “It is not a score line that the Fenerbahçe community, myself, or anyone can accept. We had missing players in that match; we identified those issues and reacted within two days.”

Slavia Prague present a familiar physical challenge for the Istanbul club. The Czech side won both legs of their 2021-22 UEFA Europa Conference League tie against the Yellow Canaries by matching 3-2 scores, though Fenerbahçe earned a 2-1 away victory over Slavia in the 2024-25 UEFA Europa League.

“They play physical football,” Kartal noted regarding Slavia Prague’s tactical approach under longtime manager Jindrich Trpisovsky.

“They are an opponent that plays man-to-man. No matter how they play, we will deploy our most dynamic players. We have three different tactical setups against this opponent, and we plan to implement them to approach tomorrow’s match in the best possible way. We are playing at home and trust our fans completely,” he added.

Kartal also highlighted the team’s manageability ahead of an upcoming league derby against Galatasaray, noting that tactical adjustments and rotations remain under evaluation.

“We look at it match by match,” Kartal said. “We will evaluate the condition of certain players. A player’s own psychological state is important. If there is fatigue, we respect each other. Whoever is in our Plan B, we prepare those players.”

The Fenerbahçe manager addressed individual squad conditions, specifically discussing Mason Greenwood, N’Golo Kante and Marco Asensio.

“Greenwood is a productive and high-quality player,” Kartal said. “He may have some defensive shortcomings, but he is doing his best to fix them. Our expectation from him is to demonstrate his attacking quality. He may play a different role tomorrow.”

Addressing physical concerns within the squad, Kartal added: “Before the Aston Villa match, both Asensio and Kante had knee pain. During the Aston Villa match, I asked Kante at half time if he could play, and he said, ‘If I play in this match, I might not be able to play for a longer period.’ He was still holding his knee during the Alanyaspor match. He still has pain. He is making sacrifices for the team and showing character.”

Fenerbahçe defender Nathan Ake, appearing alongside Kartal at the press conference, emphasized the physical demand required for Tuesday’s match.

“It will be a high-intensity match,” Ake said. “They are a team that plays man-to-man and plays attack-minded football. But we know what we need to do. There will be a great atmosphere in the stadium tomorrow. The fans helped us a lot in the first match. The Roma match was tough, and they helped us in difficult moments. I hope the same happens tomorrow and they help us get three points.”

Ake also discussed his chemistry in defense alongside goalkeeper Ederson and team captain Milan Skriniar.

“We get along better every day with Ederson and our team captain Milan Skriniar,” Ake said. “We spend time together off the pitch as well, which helps. I hope it continues. It has been an intense period so far with a lot of matches, but I like it. We do not get many training opportunities, but playing matches is what we want most, and I think everyone will be ready.”

DAILYSABAH