Beşiktaş will look to extend their Europa League winning streak when they host Maccabi Tel Aviv on Thursday, aiming to build on recent momentum after a slow start to the campaign.
For safety reasons, the match was moved to a neutral venue, Nagyerdei Stadion in Debrecen, Hungary, due to the ongoing tensions between Ankara and Tel Aviv, sparked by Israel’s bombardments of Palestinians in Gaza.
The buildup to the game has been marred by chaos, as Turkish fans have strongly protested Israel’s actions in Gaza and Lebanon.
Beşiktaş, currently 18th in the standings with six points from four matches, have shown a remarkable turnaround after a rough start.
The Black Eagles were at the bottom of the 36-team group following their first two games but have since secured a 1-0 victory over Lyon and a 2-1 win against Malmo, moving up in the rankings.
However, domestically, Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s team is struggling, with one win, one draw, and three losses in their last five matches, including a 4-2 loss to Göztepe in the Turkish Super Lig last Sunday.
Beşiktaş will be determined to build on their recent form in Europe, hoping to secure three consecutive Europa League wins for the first time since a four-match streak in 2011-12.
The Istanbul side boasts a solid record against Israeli clubs, with no losses in six previous encounters, including two wins over Maccabi Tel Aviv in the 2011-12 Europa League.
However, Beşiktaş’ recent home form raises some concerns, as they’ve lost three of their last five games at home, including a 3-1 defeat to Eintracht Frankfurt in the Europa League.
Maccabi Tel Aviv, on the other hand, are desperate for a turnaround.
The Israeli side is still without a point after four games, suffering a humiliating 5-0 defeat to Ajax last time out, which took their total goals conceded to 11 – the highest in the competition.
This defeat also marked their fifth consecutive loss in European competition, stretching back to last season’s Conference League round of 16.
Despite their European struggles, Maccabi Tel Aviv have been strong domestically, climbing to second place in the Israeli Premier League, level on points with leaders Beitar Jerusalem.
They will hope to carry this form into Europe, although they face a daunting challenge in Istanbul.
Maccabi’s hopes will be boosted by the return of winger Osher Davida, who was suspended for the Ajax match, and left-back Roy Revivo.
The team will also look to forward Dor Turgeman, who scored against Real Sociedad in matchday three, to lead their attack alongside Elad Madmon.
Beşiktaş will benefit from the return of Ciro Immobile, who has been sidelined with a thigh injury but will be without key player Ernest Muci, who scored against Malmo and has been involved in five goals in his last nine European appearances.
Midfielder Necip Uysal is also out with a ligament issue and is expected to miss the next few weeks.