Beşiktaş Takes On Partizan Away, Trabzon Hosts Lokeren In Europa

Beşiktaş has everything but a win in the Europa League and the winless Black Eagles are hoping to turn the tables in the group stage with a victory over Serbian side FK Partizan on match day three after picking up two draws, while Trabzonspor entertains Lokeren on Thursday night.

Slaven Bilic's Beşiktaş was impressive in its two opening clashes, first against Greek club Asteras and later Premier League powerhouse Tottenham, but the good football and team spirit did not earn the Eagles three points, with both games ending in a 1-1 tie.

The İstanbul giant is heading to Serbia, where the Euro 2016 qualifying match was marred by politically charged stadium incidents, and will play the first international game in the aftermath of that eventful night. All hell broke loose after a drone carrying an Albanian flag was flown over the pitch during the match last week between Serbia and Albania, which have a politically tense relationship.

Beşiktaş has warned the European football's governing body, UEFA, and its Serbian opponent about the reaction to the incidents last week, saying there might be groups trying to provoke the Serbs by unfurling Albanian flags on Thursday.

The Eagles are hungry for success in Europe and it would not be surprising at all if they come back with three points from Serbia. An unbeaten Beşiktaş sits at the top of the domestic rankings after striking a comeback win over Sivasspor in the week six match over the weekend. Former Chelsea striker Demba Ba shined with two goals plus an assist, a performance pleasing Beşiktaş and one which portends more success to come from the Senegalese. On-form midfielder Olcay Şahan will be another weapon for Bilic against Partizan.

The Croatian coach is keeping an eye on his Serbian opponents. He sent his assistant Eren Şafak to watch the Belgrade derby between Partizan and Red Star over the weekend and submit a report to Bilic, who warned his players about the offensive strength of Partizan and the intimidating atmosphere of their opponent's stadium.

Partizan is also in high spirits with a 1-0 win over their eternal foes in the domestic league and so Beşiktaş must watch out for strikers Petar Skuletic, who has thus far netted 14 goals this season, and Danko Lazovic, who has hit 12 goals for Partizan. The Serbian Superliga runner-up is winless and goalless in Group C, starting off the group stage with a goalless draw on home soil with Tottenham and losing to Asteras 2-0 away.

Both teams lost one player in their latest domestic league campaigns. Beşiktaş defender Serdar Kurtuluş sustained a knee injury during the Sivasspor match and will be sidelined for about six weeks. Partizan right back Miroslav Vulicevic will reportedly miss out on action until the end of this season due to an injury during the weekend's derby.

Trabzon vs. Lokeren

Elsewhere, Trabzonspor is set for a Group L clash with Belgian club Lokeren at Hüseyin Avni Aker Stadium. The Black Sea Storm of Turkey started the Europa League group stage with a bang, cruising to a 2-1 win over Metalist Kharkiv as Avraam Papadopoulos scored the winning goal during injury time. However, a home loss against Legia followed the victory. Trabzonspor found solace over the weekend when Vahid Halilhodzic's men won their first domestic match in six weeks.

Trabzonspor will only be missing top-choice goalie Onur Kıvrak in the Lokeren match. The Bosnian coach reportedly warned his players to pull themselves together following a disappointing performance in the opening five matches, reminding them of the upcoming winter transfer window in December. The former Algeria coach used his Algerians, defender Essaid Belkalem and midfielder Carl Medjani, in most games this season and he is also expected to field them against Lokeren on Thursday night.

Also in Group C, Tottenham coach Mauricio Pochettino will be demanding a positive response from his players to leader Asteras Tripolis at home after they were thrashed 4-1 by English Premier League champion Manchester City on Saturday.

ESRA MADEN (Cihan/Today's Zaman)