Union leads the Belgian league, 8 points behind Anderlecht, and in Turkey, it is between Galatasaray (75 points) and Fenerbahce (73 points).
Coach Ismail Kartal unequivocally rejected the fact that the top Turkish club did not travel to Brussels at full speed, as it is locked in a fierce battle for the title in its country.
“We want to win both competitions!” Kartal responded sternly to a journalist who questioned whether Fenerbahce was prioritizing competition in their country over Europe. “From day one I have always said the same thing: we want to get as far as we can in Europe.”
It is not yet clear whether Kartal will actually reinforce this message. The Turkish coach, who has great wealth in his heart, said that he has not yet decided which players he will send to the field against Union.
“I draft the players that I think will do the best. I only decide after training who will play. For players who have already played a lot, fatigue and loss of concentration can happen. This is also the reason why we were eliminated from the list.” Türkiye Cup.
“So I have to take everything into account, but we will give everything anyway. Union is a good team, strong offensively and defensively, but we want to return to Istanbul with a good result.”
It remains to be seen whether Kartal will give a new starting place to striker Michy Batshuayi, who is getting few chances in the competition, but has started five of the six matches in the Conference League.
The Turkish coach already faces some important absentees in his selections, with striker Joshua King, winger Irfan Can Kahwaji, and defender Rodrigo Picao. Former Juventus defender Leonardo Bonucci is also uncertain.
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