30.01.2025 09:20
Before the 8th and final week of the UEFA Europa League, the chances of Galatasaray, Beşiktaş, and Fenerbahçe advancing to the next round were evaluated. Galatasaray has secured a spot in the playoff stage, while Beşiktaş and Fenerbahçe need to win. Galatasaray is currently in 9th place with 13 points and aims to finish in the top 8 of the league stage. If Fenerbahçe and Beşiktaş win, they will advance to the next round. Here are all the possibilities...
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Before the 8th and final week matches of the group stage in the UEFA Europa League, Galatasaray has secured the playoff stage, while Beşiktaş and Fenerbahçe need to win to continue their journey in this competition regardless of other results.
ALL MATCHES AT THE SAME TIME THIS EVENING
The yellow-red team will face Ajax in the Netherlands, while Beşiktaş will play against another Dutch team, Twente, away. Fenerbahçe will visit Midtjylland in Denmark.
Having remained unbeaten with 3 wins and 4 draws in the past 7 weeks, Galatasaray is currently in 9th place with 13 points. The yellow-red team has scored 18 goals while conceding 14, holding a +4 goal difference. Okan Buruk's team, which has guaranteed advancement to the next round, aims to finish the group stage in the top 8 by winning against Ajax away and directly securing a spot in the last 16. However, the results of other matches are also crucial. There is only one scenario in which Galatasaray can win in the Netherlands and still not place in the top 8. If teams with 14 points, Lyon, Tottenham, and Anderlecht, win their matches, and Manchester United defeats FCSB in Romania, the result of Norway's representative Bodo Glimt in their away match against Nice will be significant. In such a scenario, if Bodo Glimt wins by at least 2 goals more than the score achieved by Galatasaray, the yellow-red team will remain in 9th place.
GALATASARAY'S SITUATION
Even if Okan Buruk's team draws with Ajax, they still have a chance to be in the top 8 depending on the results of other matches. Galatasaray has a better goal difference than Anderlecht and FCSB, who are in the top 8. If both teams lose, Galatasaray can surpass them even with a draw. However, Bodo Glimt, Viktoria Plzen, Olympiakos, and Glasgow Rangers must not win, and AZ Alkmaar and Union Saint-Gilloise can win by a maximum of 3 goals. If the yellow-red team loses to Ajax, they will not make it to the top 8 and will participate in the playoff stage with 13 points.
IF FENERBAHÇE WINS, THEY ADVANCE
With 2 wins, 3 draws, and 2 losses, Fenerbahçe has collected 9 points in the past 7 matches and will visit Midtjylland in Denmark. If the yellow-navy team returns with a victory from the away match, they will successfully advance to the next round with 12 points. If Fenerbahçe draws with Midtjylland, the matches of teams with 9 and 10 points will also affect the fate of the yellow-navy team in the UEFA Europa League. Ajax, PAOK, Real Sociedad, Midtjylland, and Elfsborg have 10 points, while Roma, Ferencvaros, and Beşiktaş have 9 points each. Ajax will host Galatasaray, while PAOK and Real Sociedad will play against each other. Fenerbahçe's opponent Midtjylland will also face Sweden's Elfsborg, who has 10 points.
A DRAW IS A BIT CONFUSING
If Fenerbahçe draws away, their points will increase to 10, but their goal difference will remain at -2. If Tottenham defeats Elfsborg, Jose Mourinho's team will surpass the Swedish team on goal difference. Among the teams with 10 points, PAOK has a +4 goal difference, while Real Sociedad has +2. For Fenerbahçe, with a -2 goal difference, to surpass one of these two rivals, PAOK must lose by 7 goals, and Real Sociedad must lose by 5 goals. Ajax has a goal difference of +7. If the Dutch representative hosting Galatasaray loses by 9 goals, Fenerbahçe will equal their points and goal difference. The 9-point Roma will face second-placed Eintracht Frankfurt at home. If Roma loses, Fenerbahçe will surpass the Italian team.
Another team with 9 points, Ferencvaros, will face 11-point AZ Alkmaar at home. The Hungarian representative, with a -1 goal difference, will finish above Fenerbahçe if they draw with AZ Alkmaar. If AZ Alkmaar wins, the yellow-navy team will surpass Ferencvaros.
If Porto defeats Maccabi Tel Aviv at home, Twente defeats Beşiktaş at home, and Braga beats Lazio by at least 2 goals in front of their fans, the points earned by Roma and Ferencvaros will determine the ranking of the yellow-navy team. If Roma and Ferencvaros earn at least 1 point from their last matches, and Porto, Twente, and Braga earn 3 points, Fenerbahçe's UEFA Europa League adventure will come to an end.
In the event of a loss, the results of the teams below are significant. If Fenerbahçe leaves Denmark with a loss, they may continue their journey depending on the results of other matches. If Fenerbahçe loses by a single goal, and Ferencvaros loses to AZ Alkmaar by at least 3 goals, the yellow-navy team will surpass the Hungarian representative.
If Porto, not among the top 24 teams, loses to Maccabi Tel Aviv at home by a maximum of 4 goals, and if Beşiktaş earns points against Twente away, and Braga does not defeat Lazio at home, Fenerbahçe will secure a playoff stage ticket even with a single goal loss.
If Roma, with 9 points, loses to second-placed Eintracht Frankfurt by 6 goals at home, the yellow-navy team can surpass the Italian team with a single goal loss.
BEŞİKTAŞ AND FENERBAHÇE IN THE SAME SITUATION
Beşiktaş, with the same points as Fenerbahçe, is in 24th place in the league. The black-and-white team will advance to the next round if they win against Twente away in their last match. Similar scenarios are possible in the case of a draw or loss. Beşiktaş is at a disadvantage of 2 goals compared to Fenerbahçe. The only difference in scenarios if Fenerbahçe loses is that if Solskjaer's team loses by a single goal, and Maccabi Tel Aviv defeats Porto away by 4 goals, the European adventure of the black-and-white team will come to an end.
A TURKISH DERBY MAY BE PLAYED
There is a possibility of a Turkish derby in the next round of the UEFA Europa League. If the points situation from the seventh week continues into the eighth week, Galatasaray, in 9th place, will face either Beşiktaş or Fenerbahçe.
According to UEFA's new system, teams outside the top 8 will be matched based on the points they have earned. Accordingly, the teams in 9th and 10th places will face the teams in 23rd and 24th places in the draw. Those finishing the group stage in 11th and 12th places will face the teams in 21st and 22nd places, those finishing in 13th and 14th places will face the teams in 19th and 20th places, and those finishing in 15th and 16th places will face the teams in 17th and 18th places in the draw. If there is no change in the points situation after the last week's matches, Fenerbahçe and Beşiktaş, in 23rd and 24th places, will face either Galatasaray or Bodo Glimt.
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