Feyenoord take on the visitors Fenerbahce in the first leg of UEFA Champions League Qualification round of semifinals. The match will be played on Wednesday, August 6th at De Kuip (Rotterdam).
Feyenoord rescued last season after van Persie’s return. The Pride of the South has always been one of the pillars of Dutch football. Under Slot, they reclaimed the Eredivisie title in 2023. However, once Arne left to shine at Liverpool, the team went through a mixed season — on one hand, reaching the Champions League playoffs, but on the other, risking falling behind even Utrecht in the league standings. Van Persie’s arrival on the bench — having played at Fenerbahçe late in his career — helped the team finish strong, securing third place with 68 points, four more than their closest chasers. They now begin the new campaign without some key figures, like Hancko and Paixão, but have signed several promising names. One standout is Sem Steijn, who recorded 27 goals and 7 assists last season for modest Twente, making him one of the biggest revelations of the Eredivisie.
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Fenerbahçe have been in a prolonged slump, unable to win the league for over a decade now. Huge hopes were pinned on the arrival of José Mourinho in Istanbul. Yet the Portuguese manager disappointed early, failing to qualify for the Champions League in his debut summer — a rare misfire in his career. The trend continued with exits from both the Europa League and the Turkish Cup, where the team had at least been competitive in recent years. Domestically, they again finished behind city rivals Galatasaray, highlighting the growing gap. Still, the board kept faith in the Special One and backed him in the transfer market, including the signing of young star Duran. On the flip side, Edin Džeko returned to Italy, despite having scored nearly 15 league goals last season in Turkey — and notably, only three of them came from the penalty spot.
In 2002, the Dutch side won both legs in the Champions League qualifiers. In 2016, Fenerbahçe won twice in the Europa League, while their most recent clash, a 2018 friendly, ended in an entertaining 3-3 draw. The Dutch side is given a slight home advantage. But the smarter bet might be on both teams contributing to an entertaining game — take over 2.5 total goals.
Prediction for the match: Over 2.5 scored goals.
