Besiktas will travel to Switzerland on Thursday night to face Lugano at the Stockhorn Arena (a neutral venue) in the first leg of their Europa League playoff tie.
This two-legged clash will determine who advances to the newly expanded 36-team Europa League group stage, with the loser dropping into the Conference League.
Lugano, which competed in the Conference League group stage last season, is striving to reach the Europa League proper for just the third time in its history and the first time in five years. The Bianconeri, which finished second in the Swiss Super League last season, started the 2024-25 campaign with three straight wins before suffering a 3-2 home defeat to Luzern two weeks ago.
Balancing domestic duties with European aspirations, Mattia Croci-Torti's side began the season in the Champions League qualifiers but were eliminated by Fenerbahce, losing 6-4 on aggregate. Now, facing another Turkish giant in Besiktas, Lugano will be determined to avoid further heartbreak. Dropping into the Europa League, they narrowly edged Partizan Belgrade of Serbia 3-2 on aggregate in the third qualifying round, securing their place in this playoff with a hard-fought 2-2 home draw following a 1-0 victory in the Serbian capital.
Their confidence was boosted with a dominant 7-1 victory over Bruhl in the Swiss Cup on Sunday, setting them up well for the challenge ahead against the Turkish giants in midweek.
The Swiss side will miss suspended defender Albian Hajdari, who received a red card in the previous round against Partizan. In his absence, Lukas Mai or Ayman El Wafi are expected to step in as center-back, partnering with Antonios Papadopoulos.
Mattia Bottani, who recently returned to the squad after recovering from a muscle injury, is in contention to play a role on Thursday, offering experience and creativity in midfield.
Kacper Przybylko, fresh off a hat-trick in his last outing, has scored five goals in eight games this season. He will compete with Ignacio Aliseda and Shkelqim Vladi for the starting spot as the central striker.
Besiktas, after a disappointing sixth-place finish in the Turkish Super Lig last season - a staggering 46 points behind champions Galatasaray - have begun the new campaign in style. They opened with a resounding 5-0 victory over arch-rivals Galatasaray in the Turkish Super Cup and followed that up with two league wins, defeating Samsunspor 2-0 and Antalyaspor 4-2.
Despite conceding an early goal against Antalyaspor, Besiktas responded strongly, with new signing Ciro Immobile scoring twice in quick succession. At the same time, Rafa Silva and Ernest Muci also found the net to maintain their perfect start to the season.
Having finished sixth in the Turkish Super Lig last season, The Black Eagles will be keen to drastically improve their performances under new head coach Giovanni van Bronckhorst. The Dutchman, who took charge of Besiktas in June, has plenty to be optimistic about as his side aims to return to the Europa League group stage for the first time since 2019-20.
Emrecan Terzi and Arda Kilic remain unavailable due to knee and ankle injuries. Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Daniel Amartey, Oguzhan Akgun, and Abdullah Aydin have been excluded from the Europa League squad.
Arthur Masuaku may be recalled to the starting lineup at left-back, replacing Emirhan Topcu, while Gabriel Paulista and Omar Colley are expected to maintain their partnership in central defense.
New signings Rafa Silva and experienced Italian forward Ciro Immobile have been in sensational form, combining for seven goals in just three games. Both are likely to start in attack on Thursday, supported by wingers Semih Kilicsoy and Milot Rashica.
Both teams have shown impressive attacking prowess early in the season, setting the stage for a matchup with plenty of action in the final third. However, given Besiktas' strong form and the depth of quality across their squad, we anticipate that the Turkish side will be in a better position after the first leg.
Of course, Besiktas cannot afford to underestimate their Swiss opponents, especially after Galatasaray's defeat at Young Boys in the Champions League playoffs on Wednesday night.
