Istanbul Başakşehir will attempt to salvage their dismal Conference League campaign on Wednesday as they face winless Petrocub Hincesti at Başakşehir Fatih Terim Stadium.
Both teams are rooted at the bottom of Group C, desperate to break their continental duck.
Once Süper Lig champions, the Turkish side has endured a season to forget both domestically and in Europe.
Çağdaş Atan’s men have stumbled to eighth in the league with just three wins from 12 matches, six points off last season’s fourth-place finish.
In Europe, their plight is even grimmer.
The Grey Owls opened their Conference League account with back-to-back defeats to Rapid Vienna (2-1) and Celje (5-1) before a 2-2 draw against Copenhagen offered a glimmer of hope.
However, a crushing 3-0 league loss to Gaziantep over the weekend extended their winless streak to nine matches across all competitions, with goals proving elusive.
Başakşehir have failed to score in consecutive matches heading into Wednesday’s clash, finding the net just twice during their barren nine-game spell.
Their leading scorer, Krzysztof Piatek, has netted half of their meager four Conference League goals and will again shoulder the scoring burden.
Injuries further complicate matters for Atan, with Ömer Ali Sahiner, Davidson and Deniz Türüç all doubtful.
Ineligible players including Matchoi Djalo and Patryk Szysz limit rotation options, leaving the hosts with a threadbare squad.
Baptism of fire
Meanwhile, Moldovan champions Petrocub Hincesti are enduring a baptism of fire in their first European group-stage campaign.
Andrei Martin’s men sit at the foot of the standings after three heavy defeats to Pafos (4-1), Jagiellonia (2-0) and Rapid Vienna (3-0), conceding nine goals and scoring just once.
While their domestic campaign has been steadier, the White-Blacks’ struggles in front of goal persist on the continental stage.
Marin Caruntu, Dumitru Demian and Mihai Lupan, key players domestically, have yet to translate their form to Europe.
Petrocub will also contend with notable absences, including Dumitru Bivol, Constantin Sandu and Nicky Clescenco, all ruled out due to ineligibility.