In the second round of Europa League group stage fixtures, Trabzonspor and Red Star Belgrade will square off in Turkey on Thursday as both teams look to put their first points on the board.
The hosts lost their opening game away at Ferencvaros 3-2, while their visitors were narrowly beaten on home turf by Monaco.
Match preview
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After winning the seventh Turkish Super Lig title in their history, and their first since 1984, with 81 points last season, Trabzonspor earned a place in the Champions League playoff round, having already kicked off the new term with silverware as they beat Sivasspor 4-0 in the Turkish Super Cup.
On the back of consecutive wins to start their title defence, Abdullah Avci's side headed into their two-legged qualifying tie with Copenhagen and lost the away leg 2-1, with Anastasios Bakasetas's 79th-minute goal giving them a lifeline ahead of the home contest after Viktor Claesson and Lukas Lerager had given their opponents a 2-0 lead.
Then following a 5-2 league defeat at the hands of Antalyaspor, the Karadeniz Firtinasi would then go into their home leg fighting for a place in Europe's top competition, but having failed to break the deadlock on the night, they fell to a narrow aggregate defeat and dropped into the Europa League group stage, with their campaign kicking off with a trip to Ferencvaros.
After taking a 1-0 lead, the hosts were reduced to 10 men in the 16th minute but quickly doubled their advantage, and after Umut Bozok drew the scoreline back to 3-2 with 20 minutes to go, Trabzonspor did not manage to find a leveller even with the advantage and were condemned to a defeat as a result.
Now on the back of a loss by the same scoreline to Adana Demirspor, dropping to eighth spot in the Super Lig as a result as their opponents snatched all three points deep into injury time, Avci's side will aim to put a first win of the group stage on the board on Thursday.
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They meet a Red Star Belgrade side who are also travelling on the back of a losing start after falling short in Champions League qualifying, following a seventh straight triumph in the Serbian SuperLiga and a beating of rivals Partizan in the Serbian Cup final.
The Red-Whites entered in the third round and progressed with a 7-0 thrashing of Pyunik on aggregate, before meeting Maccabi Haifa in the playoff round, and they would suffer a narrow 3-2 away defeat in the first leg despite leading 2-1 through Aleksandar Pesic and Guelor Kanga.
Pesic was again on the scoresheet alongside Mirko Ivanic in the home leg, and they led 2-1 on the night going into injury time, only for their opponents to snatch an aggregate win in the 90th minute as Milan Pavkov scored an own goal, condemning the Serbian outfit to the Europa League group stage as a result.
They began at home to French outfit Monaco, and the game remained goalless until the 75th minute, but the visitors eventually won a penalty which Breel Embolo converted to seal an away win.
Having now bounced back with a 2-1 league win away at Novi Pazar to remain a point clear at the summit of their domestic top flight after nine outings, Milos Milojevic's side will also go in search of a first win of the Europa League campaign on Thursday.
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Team News
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Since Andreas Cornelius's departure for Copenhagen at the end of August, summer signing Maxi Gomez has been relied upon to lead the Trabzonspor line, and he will again feature after getting on the scoresheet in their first group game away at Ferencvaros.
He will have plenty of support, with Trezeguet and Enis Bardhi both set to feature, while Anastasios Bakasetas veteran midfielder Marek Hamsik will also be vying to feature from the outset.
Umut Bozok, who has netted two goals in three appearances following his switch from Lorient, is another attacking threat, while Jean-Philippe Gbamin will likely operate at the base of midfield, with former Barcelona man Marc Bartra set to join Vitor Hugo in the middle of the back four.
Red Star Belgrade's line should again be led by Aleksandar Pesic, who has netted four goals in 10 appearances since joining from Midtjylland, following Milan Pavkov's departure for Al-Fayha at the end of August.
He will play in the middle of a front three, with winger Aleksandar Katai remaining a danger man while Osman Bukari has found the net seven times since signing from Gent, including three alongside two assists in four Champions League qualifying appearances.
At the other end of the pitch, Nemanja Milunovic, Strahinja Erakovic and Aleksandar Dragovic should again line up as a back three with Guelor Kanga and Sekou Sanogo operating in the engine room.
Trabzonspor possible starting lineup:
Cakir; Larsen, Bartra, Hugo, Elmali; Gbamin; Trezeguet, Bakasetas, Bozok, Bardhi; Gomez
Red Star Belgrade possible starting lineup:
Borjan; Erakovic, Milunovic, Dragovic; Srnic, Kanga, Sanogo, Rodic; Bukari, Pesic, Katai
We say: Trabzonspor 1-1 Red Star Belgrade
We put these two sides on a relatively level playing field, and with Trabzonspor yet to hit the heights they displayed last season, we think the Serbian outfit have enough to leave with a share of the points.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Sam Varley
