Fenerbahce v Anderlecht: Prediction, Tips and Odds

Turkish giants Fenerbahce crawled into the UEFA Europa League play-offs after an underwhelming league phase campaign and they won't find Belgian side Anderlecht a pushover in Istanbul.

A hostile atmosphere at the Sukru Saracoglu Stadium will be one of Fener's major weapons, but Anderlecht impressed in the league phase and will be confident they can take a positive result back to Brussels for the second leg next week.

Fenerbahce v Anderlecht betting tips and predictions

Fenerbahce & Over 2.5 Goals @ 6/5

Fenerbahce made hard work of reaching the knockout stage of the UEFA Europa League yet are a short-priced favourite to see off Anderlecht in the first leg of their play-off tie.

Jose Mourinho's side will bank on home advantage at the Sukru Saracoglu Stadium in Istanbul to be decisive and a raucous crowd can certainly be an asset against the Belgian aces.

Mourinho's men qualified in a dismal 24th place out of the 36 sides involved, needing a 2-2 draw at Danish side Midtjylland in their eighth and final fixture to secure the last berth in the play-offs.

The Belgians qualified easily though their route into the next stage was also full of frustration, a final-day 4-3 home loss to Hoffenheim costing them their place in the top eight.

They had needed only a draw to avoid the play-offs altogether and folding under pressure like that might be a red flag.

Fener are on a solid 12-game unbeaten run across all competitions, but in Europe it has been hard work.

They were dumped out of the UEFA Champions League 3-2 on aggregate by Lille in the play-off round and then in this competition have managed just two wins, 2-1 at home to Anderlecht's Jupiler League rivals Union Saint-Gilloise and 2-1 at Slavia Prague.

Their other six games yielded four draws and defeats away at AZ Alkmaar (3-1) and at home to Athletic Bilbao (2-0).

But Mourinho has a hugely experienced squad featuring the likes of Caglar Soyuncu, Fred and Edin Dzeko and that has been embellished by the additions of Milan Skriniar, Diego Carlos, and Talisca.

They look well-equipped to take care of an Anderlecht side who enjoyed a happy honeymoon under new head coach David Hubert, but the love-in is well and truly over.

That loss to Hoffenheim at the end of January, a week after they had been beaten by Viktoria Plzen, transformed the mood around the place and now the pressure is very much on Hubert.

A quiet transfer window hasn't lifted the spirits of fans of a side who have failed to win four of their last six.

Mourinho remains an obdurate tactician, but he can mastermind a straightforward success.

Talisca anytime scorer @ 12/5

Jose Mourinho has boosted his attacking options in the window and registered a few new faces, among them the well-travelled Brazilian Talisca.

The 31-year-old has been signed from Saudi side Al-Nassr for whom he scored five goals in his last seven games.

He has hit the ground running in Istanbul, opening the scoring in Fener's 5-0 drubbing of Erzurumspor in the Turkish Cup before adding the second goal in Sunday's 2-0 win at Alanyaspor in the Super Lig.

Playing on the right side of Mourinho's front three, Talisca is likely to start again and with his eye for goal he looks a fair price at 12/5 to find the net once again.

Card Handicap - Fenerbahce 0 @ 6/5

Where Fenerbahce are in a league of their own in this season's UEFA Europa League, is when it comes to picking up bookings.

The feisty Turks have amassed 31 yellows and two reds, way above Anderlecht's modest haul of 13 yellows and one red.

The stakes are high in the first leg of a two-legged affair, so much so you might expect caution to take hold with players desperate to avoid missing the second leg.

The stats show us that Mourinho's men will collect cards whatever the stakes, home or away, so they should be trusted to land the 3-way cards handicap off scratch.

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Fenerbahce v Anderlecht odds

Fenerbahce - 1/2
Draw - 3/1
Anderlecht - 11/2

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This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.