Preview: FC Midtjylland vs Besiktas - prediction, team news, lineups

Needing to overturn a one-goal deficit to keep their Europa League dreams alive, FC Midtjylland welcome Besiktas to MCH Arena on Thursday for the return leg of their second qualifying round tie.

The Danish outfit suffered a 1-0 defeat in last week's first leg in Istanbul, in what was the first competitive meeting between the two clubs.

Match preview

Midtjylland's task became harder in last week's first leg after Friday Etim was sent off in the 15th minute, leaving the Wolves under pressure for much of the contest, with goalkeeper Elias Olafsson producing a string of important saves to keep the deficit to a minimum.

Olafsson faced six shots during the match, although he was unable to prevent Orkun Kokcu's curling effort in the 26th minute, as the narrow defeat brought Mike Tullberg's side back down to earth following an almost flawless pre-season.

Midtjylland had gone unbeaten across five pre-season friendlies before that loss, winning four of those matches, including a 6-0 thrashing of Cardiff City and a 4-1 victory over Odense that highlighted their attacking quality ahead of the new campaign.

Encouragingly for the Jutland club, the disappointment of that defeat did not carry into their domestic opener, having responded with a 3-2 victory over Sonderjyske to begin the Superliga season on a positive note after finishing as runners-up last term.

Tullberg's side also carry the experience of last season's Europa League campaign, where they progressed automatically to the knockout stages before suffering a heartbreaking penalty shootout defeat to Nottingham Forest in the last 16 following a 2-1 home loss in the second leg.

Meanwhile, Besiktas' last European campaign ended in the league phase of the 2024-25 Europa League, and their first-leg victory has left the Turkish giants needing only to avoid defeat on Thursday to move a step closer to the main competition.

That victory gave Vincenzo Italiano the perfect start to his competitive reign after taking charge in June while also easing concerns following an underwhelming pre-season campaign for the Black Eagles.

Besiktas managed just two wins from six friendlies during that spell, losing to Widzew Lodz (2-0) and Spartak Trnava (3-2), with those two defeats representing the only occasions they conceded more than once, meaning defensive discipline could prove crucial on Thursday.

However, the visitors will also be mindful that they were beaten in two of their final four competitive outings played away from their ground in the 2025-26 season, but avoiding defeat in Jutland would book a third qualifying round meeting with either Tromso or Hradec Kralove.

FC Midtjylland Europa League form:

FC Midtjylland form (all competitions):

Besiktas Europa League form:

Team News

Midtjylland are sweating over the fitness of defender Victor Bak, who was forced off at halftime against Sonderjyske last weekend and remains a doubt for Thursday's encounter.

If Bak is unavailable, he will join Ousmane Diao, Mikel Gogorza and Junior Brumado on the sidelines, while Etim will serve his suspension for that red card in the first leg.

Although Mads Bech Sorensen, Valdemar Byskov and substitute Julius Emefile all found the net at the weekend, much of Midtjylland's attacking threat is still expected to come from Franculino Dju and Gue-sung Cho, who should lead the line once again.

Meanwhile, Besiktas have been handed a boost after Tiago Djalo was declared fit following the injury scare he suffered in last week's first leg, although Wilfred Ndidi (ankle) remains sidelined.

Felix Uduokhai continues his continental suspension, while summer signing Leandro Trossard is also unavailable, having been granted additional leave following Belgium's participation at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

FC Midtjylland possible starting lineup:

Olafsson; Kristensen, Erlic, Sorensen; Osorio, Billing, Bravo, Byskov, B Junior; Dju, Cho

Besiktas possible starting lineup:

Nubel; Yilmaz, Djalo, Topcu, Murillo; Ozcan; Cerny, Olaitan, Kokcu, Fakili; Oh

We say: FC Midtjylland 1-1 Besiktas (Besiktas win 2-1 on aggregate)

While the scoreline and statistics from the first leg make difficult reading for Midtjylland, the early dismissal of Etim undoubtedly shaped the contest, making it difficult to draw too many conclusions from the performance.

What does seem likely is that the hosts will have to take the initiative from the outset, but committing numbers forward could leave gaps at the back, and one goal from Besiktas may be enough to secure a draw and a place in the next round.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.