Turkish outfit Istanbul Basaksehir will travel to Israel to face Maccabi Netanya for the second leg of their Europa Conference League qualifier on Thursday.
The tie is nicely poised at 1-1 from the first leg, with the winners of this contest facing either Breidablik or FK Buducnost Podgorica in the next round.
Match preview
For the first time since 2012-13, Maccabi Netanya are competing in the qualifying rounds of European competition and head coach Benyamin Lam will have been pleased with how they fared against Basaksehir last week.
The Diamonds made a bright start to the first leg with Gil Itzhak heading in the opener in just the second minute. However, Basaksehir netted an equaliser in the 81st minute through Patryk Szysz to force both sides to share the spoils.
While Lam can take plenty of positives from last week's draw, their lack of discipline will be a slight cause for concern after five players received bookings and Plamen Galabov was dismissed in second-half stoppage time.
Netanya finished as the best of the rest in the Israeli top flight last season behind Maccabi Tel-Aviv, Hapoel Be'er Sheva and champions Maccabi Haifa.
While breaking into the top three will be high on the agenda for Lam and co this term, progression to their first-ever European group stage is another of their main targets, and last week's performance against a much stronger opponent, on paper, will provide them with hope of advancing to the next round.
Meanwhile, Basaksehir head coach Emre Belozoglu will have been pleased to have seen his side rescue a draw in the final 10 minutes of their first leg, although he will expect improvements to be made, particularly in the final third, if they are to get over the line on Thursday.
The Grey Owls are vying to qualify for their first European competition since suffering elimination in the Champions League group stage two years ago – Basaksehir fans will fondly remember that their solitary win on this occasion came against Manchester United on home soil.
The Turkish outfit have experienced a fluctuating three-year spell in the top flight, with their first-ever Super Lig title triumph in 2019-20 followed by 12th and fourth-placed finishes respectively.
The addition of eight new signings this summer, including former Real Madrid and Arsenal playmaker Mesut Ozil, has bolstered Emre's squad as they bid to challenge both domestically and in Europe.
Basaksehir are yet to begin their Super Lig campaign but they are currently unbeaten from five games this month, including three pre-season friendly victories.
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Team News
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Maccabi Netanya boss Lam will be forced to make at least one change on Thursday as Galabov is suspended, with Matan Levy expected to come into the side to start alongside Raz Shlomo at centre-back.
After starting and scoring last week, summer signing Itzhak will be hoping to keep his place in the first XI ahead of fellow striker Igor Zlatanovic, who was the club's top scorer last term with 12 strikes.
As for Istanbul Basaksehir, Ozil – who watched the first leg from the stands – is yet to start training with his new club and is therefore unavailable for selection on Thursday.
The likes of Szysz, Leo Duarte, Lucas Biglia and Mounir Chouiar, who have all joined the Grey Owls on permanent deals this summer, were all involved last week and are expected to feature again in the second leg.
Belgian winger Nacer Chadli missed the first leg due to injury and is not expected to play on Thursday as he has not participated in training.
Maccabi Netanya possible starting lineup:
Nitzan; Konstantini, Levy, Shlomo, Hartherz; Avraham, Enow, Karzev; Twumasi, Itzhak, Rotman
Istanbul Basaksehir possible starting lineup:
Babacan; Caicara, Ndayishimiye, Duarte, Lima; Biglia, Tekdemir; Szysz, Ozcan, Turuc; Okaka
We say: Maccabi Netanya 1-2 Istanbul Basaksehir (Istanbul Basaksehir to win 3-2 on aggregate)
Another closely-fought contest is set to be played out on Thursday, although Basaksehir will head into the second leg as the favourites to progress.
While the hosts will fancy their chances on home soil, we feel that the visitors will have enough quality in their side to secure a narrow win in Israel.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Oliver Thomas
