The careers of Jose Mourinho and Nemanja Matic are intertwined. Whenever the Portuguese coach needed a reliable midfielder, a leader both on and off the pitch, he would look towards the Serbian player. First, he brought him to Chelsea from Benfica, then took him with him to Manchester United, and later to Roma. Last June, it was speculated that the manager of Turkish giant Fenerbahce wanted to bring Matic to the Asian side of Istanbul. The Serbian veteran, who is still top class at 36 years old, arrives today (8.45PM) on the Bosporus, but as an opponent of his former mentor and someone who played a significant role in his career. Lyon is visiting Fenerbahce in the penultimate round of the Europa League. The French team is in a better position in the standings, in fourth place, which directly qualifies for the round of 16, while Fenerbahce is in 22nd place, but the difference between these teams is only five points. A victory would secure Fenerbahce a guaranteed step towards at least the first knockout round of the second-tier UEFA competition.🏆 #UEL🆚 Olympique Lyon 🗓 Tomorrow 🇹🇷 8.45pm (GMT+3)🇪🇺 6.45pm (CET)📍 @ulkerstadyumu 📲 #FBvOL pic.twitter.com/sATSfPxeH1— Fenerbahçe English (@Fenerbahce_EN) January 22, 2025 Mourinho is dealing with defensive injury issues. Jayden Oosterwolde, Rodrigo Becao, and Croatian goalkeeper Dominik Livakovic are all out. Mert Muldur is suspended due to a red card in the previous round, and Ismail Yuksek’s participation is doubtful. Filip Kostic, Levent Mercan, Oguz Aydin, and Bartug Elmaz are not registered for UEFA competitions. Kostic is absent, but another Serbian, Dusan Tadic, will be in the team. The former captain of Serbia is indispensable this season for the most popular Turkish club. Mourinho rarely plays with two classic strikers, but this time, according to Turkish media reports, both veteran Edin Dzeko and Moroccan Youssef En-Nesyri could be in the starting lineup. Fenerbahce is in good form, having won four consecutive matches in the league and Turkish Cup, narrowing the gap to Galatasaray to six points. Over the weekend, they easily beat Adana Demirspor away 4-0, with two goals from En-Nesyri and one each from Dzeko and Cenk Tosun.YEEEEES! 4-0! #ADSvFB pic.twitter.com/0AM5Sk9TlL— Fenerbahçe English (@Fenerbahce_EN) January 19, 2025 Lyon is in crisis. Their financial situation isn’t great. American John Textor has been forced to sell their best players. Gift Orban has joined Hoffenheim, and Maxence Caqueret has gone to join Cesc Fabregas at Como. Matic had also been linked with the Italian team from Lombardy, but he is still there. Argentine Nicolas Tagliafico is suspended, while Alexandre Lacazette is injured. The experienced forward is not fully fit and will likely wait for his chance from the bench. The seven-time French champions come to Istanbul after three games without a win. They were eliminated from the French Cup by the lower-league team Bourges, and over the weekend, they couldn’t break the resistance of Toulouse at home in Ligue 1 (0-0).Lacazette misses the penalty in a historical embarrassmentMikautadze, Fofana, and Cherki will be responsible for Lyon’s goals, while the experienced midfield duo Matic-Tolisso will control the midfield. In all four previous encounters, Lyon has won, most recently in the Champions League over 21 years ago. Lyon has been undefeated away in the Europa League this season, with two wins and a draw. They convincingly defeated Qarabag and Rangers 4-1, while drawing 2-2 with Hoffenheim. Fenerbahçe has one win, one draw, and one loss at home.UEFA EUROPA LEAGUE – ROUND 7Thursday20.45: (3.25) AZ Alkmaar (3.50) Roma (2.30)20.45: (1.65) Bodo (3.80) Maccabi T.A. (5.40)20.45: (2.05) Fenerbahce (3.60) Olympique Lyon (3.80)20.45: (2.90) Hoffenheim (3.60) Tottenham (2.50)20.45: (2.75) Malmo (3.15) Twente (2.70)20.45: (2.15) Plzen (3.50) Anderlecht (3.60)20.45: (1.65) Porto (4.00) Olympiakos (6.00)20.45: (2.30) Qarabag (3.40) FCSB (3.10)23.00: (1.52) Eintr.Frankfurt (4.30) Ferencvaros (6.25)23.00: (2.95) Elfsborg (3.45) Nice (2.35)23.00: (2.50) Lazio (3.25) Sociedad (3.15)23.00: (2.60) Ludogorets (3.25) Midtjylland (2.80)23.00: (1.48) Man.Utd. (5.00) Rangers (6.70)23.00: (2.75) PAOK (3.20) Slavia Praha (2.65)23.00: (9.00) Rigas (5.00) Ajax (1.35)23.00: (2.20) St.Gilloise (3.50) Braga (3.45)**odds are subject to change**
