Preview: Fenerbahce vs Slavia Prague - prediction, team news, lineups

Fenerbahce welcome Slavia Prague to the Sukru Saracoglu Stadium on Tuesday evening for a UEFA Champions League league-phase encounter, with both sides seeking their first victory of the 2026-27 campaign.

The Turkish side are looking to recover from a humiliating 6-0 defeat away to Aston Villa, while Slavia arrive in Istanbul after losing 2-0 to Sabah and are now without a win in their last two matches across all competitions.

Match preview

Fenerbahce's heavy defeat at Villa Park on matchday two was a major setback for a side hoping to make an impression on their return to the Champions League's league phase.

Aston Villa took control early through Johan Manzambi before Nicolas Jackson and Ross Barkley both scored twice, with Tammy Abraham completing the rout as the Yellow Canaries struggled to contain Villa's movement and attacking combinations, conceding three times in each half without finding a response.

The result left Fenerbahce with just one point from their opening two league-phase matches, having drawn 1-1 at home against Roma in their opener.

Ismail Kartal's men will now hope to carry their domestic form into Europe and secure their first Champions League victory of the season on Tuesday.

The Yellow Canaries are unbeaten in their last four league matches, scoring 14 goals and conceding none, a run that includes 3-0 victories over Caykur Rizespor and Alanyaspor, an emphatic 8-0 win against Eyupspor and a goalless draw with Gaziantep.

However, the hosts must remain wary, particularly against opponents who have beaten them twice in the past, with Slavia winning both legs of their 2021-22 Conference League knockout tie against Fenerbahce, recording 3-2 victories on each occasion, although the Turkish side subsequently won 2-1 away to the Czech club in the 2024-25 Europa League.

Slavia Prague also have plenty to prove after losing their first two Champions League matches, as they opened their campaign with a 3-2 home defeat against Lens despite putting up a spirited fight in a match during which they played almost an entire half with 10 men.

After a goalless first half, Mikulas Konecny was sent off just four minutes after coming on as a substitute at the interval – nevertheless, the Red and Whites took the lead through Danijel Sturm two minutes later, before Sturm scored again late in the game after Lens had equalised; however, two stoppage-time goals from the visitors condemned Jindrich Trpisovsky's side to defeat.

Slavia will hope to draw encouragement from their resilience in that encounter, although their subsequent 2-0 loss away to Sabah was another disappointment, and they remain among the teams yet to collect a point in this league phase.

Their domestic form offers a more encouraging picture, as they put together a four-game winning streak between their two Champions League defeats – they did, however, settle for a goalless draw against Hradec Kralove in their most recent league match, leaving them top of the Czech First League with 27 points.

Previous meetings suggest Slavia are capable of troubling Fenerbahce, although the Czech side have struggled against Turkish opposition in recent encounters, failing to win any of their last three matches against teams from Turkey, recording two draws and one defeat.

Fenerbahce Champions League form:

Fenerbahce form (all competitions):

Slavia Prague Champions League form:

Slavia Prague form (all competitions):

Team News

Fenerbahce are expected to be without Jayden Oosterwolde, who is recovering from an Achilles tendon injury, and Mert Muldur, who has a knee problem.

Marco Asensio has been listed with a muscle issue but has returned to training, leaving his availability uncertain, while Amara Diouf is also a doubt ahead of Tuesday's encounter.

Romelu Lukaku started as the centre-forward in the weekend victory over Alanyaspor and found the net, but Vedat Muriqi also scored after coming off the bench — Kartal therefore faces a decision over who should lead the line against Slavia.

Slavia Praha have a longer list of reported absentees, as Stepan Chaloupek is sidelined with a muscle injury, while Igoh Ogbu is recovering from an Achilles problem and Adonija Ouanda is also unavailable.

David Jurasek has a thigh injury, while Ivan Schranz and Elias Pitak have also been listed with fitness concerns.

Konecny, however, is available for selection after serving his suspension following his red card on the opening matchday.

Fenerbahce possible starting lineup:

Ederson; Semedo, Skriniar, Ake, Brown; Guendouzi, Kante; Greenwood, Kahveci, Aydin; Muriqi

Slavia Prague possible starting lineup:

Markovic; Holes, Zima, N'Guessan, Vlcek; Moses, Sadilek; Ayaosi, Provod, Sturm; Chory

We say: Fenerbahce 2-1 Slavia Prague

Fenerbahce's European results so far do little to inspire confidence, but their domestic performances suggest they have the quality to respond.

Slavia can cause problems with their pressing and movement, yet the hosts possess enough attacking quality to exploit defensive gaps and edge a closely contested encounter.

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