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Mourinho Leads Fenerbahçe Towards Their Sixth European Title

Portuguese coach José Mourinho will lead his Fenerbahçe team as they visit Belgian side Anderlecht on Thursday in the second leg of the UEFA Europa League Round of 16 playoffs, aiming for qualification and his sixth personal European title.

Fenerbahçe heads into the match with a comfortable 3-0 advantage from the first leg in Istanbul, thanks to goals from Serbian Dusan Tadić, Bosnian Edin Džeko, and Moroccan Youssef En-Nesyri.

The Turkish club is in a strong position to qualify for the Round of 16, where they will face either Scotland’s Rangers or Greece’s Olympiacos after the draw is conducted on Friday.

Mourinho, 62, took charge of Fenerbahçe at the beginning of the season, tasked with dethroning arch-rival Galatasaray and securing the club’s first league title since 2014.

However, the situation is not entirely promising, as Fenerbahçe currently sits second in the league, trailing Galatasaray by six points. Galatasaray remains unbeaten after 23 matches.

Mourinho’s team has suffered two league defeats this season—first at home against Galatasaray in September and then against Beşiktaş in December.

After facing Anderlecht, Fenerbahçe will play in a heated “Intercontinental Derby” against Galatasaray on Monday, with both clubs representing opposite sides of the Bosphorus Strait.

Success in Europe would be a remarkable achievement for Mourinho, especially after his team was eliminated from the UEFA Champions League qualifiers earlier this season.

Fenerbahçe has never reached a European final, and the only continental title won by a Turkish club remains Galatasaray’s UEFA Cup triumph in 2000.

Mourinho’s squad enters the match with a full lineup, featuring Tadić, Džeko, and En-Nesyri, alongside French winger Allan Saint-Maximin and Slovakian defender Milan Škriniar, who joined on loan from Paris Saint-Germain during the winter transfer window.

However, the path to the final will not be easy, with major clubs such as Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur, Spain’s Athletic Bilbao, Germany’s Eintracht Frankfurt, and Italy’s Lazio also in the Round of 16.

Throughout his career, Mourinho has won the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Cup with Porto, another Champions League title with Inter Milan, the Europa League with Manchester United in 2017, and the UEFA Conference League with AS Roma in 2022.

Meanwhile, Galatasaray’s chances of progressing appear slim after a 4-1 first-leg defeat away to Dutch side AZ Alkmaar.

AS Roma hopes to continue their positive momentum when they host FC Porto after a 1-1 draw in the first leg.

Following a series of domestic setbacks, including a Coppa Italia quarter-final elimination by AC Milan, Roma bounced back with two consecutive league victories, both away from home, along with their draw at Porto.

Veteran coach Claudio Ranieri, back for his third stint in charge of Roma and their third manager this season, aims to leverage home advantage. Roma has been strong at home, winning against Frankfurt in the final match of the group stage and holding league leaders Napoli to a draw. The team remains unbeaten at home in their last eight matches across all competitions.

Ranieri stated: “Our fans know what kind of atmosphere it will be like at the Stadio Olimpico. We need their support because this match is all or nothing.”

Following a 1-0 league win over Parma, he added: “Porto is a high-quality team that thrives on counterattacks, similar to Parma, so we must be very cautious and aim for victory.”

Roma will be without suspended midfielder Bryan Cristante, but Ranieri confirmed that German defender Mats Hummels, who missed the last three matches due to injury, is likely to play after being named on the bench in the previous two games.

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