Jose Mourinho's Fenerbahçe head to the Netherlands on Thursday night to face AZ Alkmaar in a critical Europa League showdown.
It’s a matchup with history – the two teams last clashed in 2007, a thrilling 5-5 UEFA Cup tie that saw AZ advance on away goals.
But this time, both teams enter under very different conditions.
For AZ Alkmaar, the season has taken a bleak turn.
Following a 3-2 win over Elfsborg to kick off their Europa League campaign, AZ have spiraled with six losses and a single draw in seven games across competitions.
That slump includes recent Europa League losses to Athletic Bilbao (2-0) and Tottenham (1-0), as well as a 3-2 Eredivisie defeat against Feyenoord.
Now sitting sixth in the Eredivisie, AZ finds themselves trailing the league leaders by eight points, and they languish near the Europa League’s bottom rung, desperate for points to climb from 24th.
AZ’s Dutch home turf, however, has been a fortress against Turkish teams, with three wins and three draws in their last six meetings.
Maarten Martens’ squad has also been prolific at home, netting in their last 12 matches and scoring two or more in nine of those games – a trend they hope to carry into Thursday’s game against Fenerbahçe.
Fenerbahçe, meanwhile, arrives in the Netherlands in stellar form, unbeaten in their last seven across all competitions and showing grit in their Europa League journey.
The Yellow Canaries kicked off with a 2-1 win over Union SG, then came from behind to secure 1-1 draws against both FC Twente and Manchester United.
These results have kept Mourinho’s side competitive, sitting just outside the top eight in the Europa League table and currently third in Türkiye Süper Lig after recent wins, including a spirited 3-2 victory over Trabzonspor.
Notably, Mourinho stirred headlines after that match, vocally criticizing the officiating and claiming the Turkish Süper Lig “smells bad.”
But now, with their focus back on European competition, Fenerbahçe looks to stretch their unbeaten Europa League run to 11 games.
In terms of lineup, AZ will be without several key players, including David Wolfe, suspended after his red card against Tottenham, and injury absentees Zico Buurmeester, Ibrahim Sadiq, and Ruben van Bommel.
Star striker Troy Parrott, who had a brief stint under Mourinho at Tottenham, will lead the attack, supported by wingers Ernest Poku and Mayckel Lahdo.
Fenerbahçe will miss Jayden Oosterwolde (ACL) and Cengiz Ünder (groin), while Mourinho considers reshuffling his defense, possibly bringing back Rodrigo Becao.
The attack will likely be led by Youssef En-Nesyri, who equaled the Moroccan record for goals in European competitions with his recent tally against Manchester United.
