Cherno More will welcome Turkish side Istanbul Basaksehir to Varna on Thursday evening for the first leg of their UEFA Europa Conference League second qualifying round clash.

The hosts head into this competition for the second straight season, but will be hoping to go past the second round this year.

Match preview 

The Bulgarian outfit are making back-to-back appearances in the competition after finishing third in the 2024–25 Bulgarian First League, having dropped one place from their second-place finish the previous season.

Despite the slight slip, their top-three position secured them another shot at European football, and they will now be hoping to improve on last year’s showing.

The Sailors were knocked out at this stage last season, losing 2-1 on aggregate to Israeli club Hapoel Be’er Sheva, with a 2-1 home defeat ultimately proving costly, as they could only manage a goalless draw in the return leg. 

Head coach Ilian Iliev will be desperate to avoid a similar fate this time, especially with a tricky test awaiting against a well-drilled Basaksehir outfit.

Although Thursday’s tie marks the first-ever meeting between these two clubs, Cherno More will be counting on recent form to make a strong impression. 

They had an outstanding preseason, winning all seven of their friendly matches, but were held to a 1-1 draw by Lokomotiv Sofia in their domestic league opener last Friday.

Meanwhile, Istanbul Basaksehir are gearing up for their first competitive outing of the new campaign, with their Turkish Super Lig season yet to begin. 

The Owls finished fifth in the 2024-25 Turkish Super Lig, clinching a European place and showing signs of consistency under Cagdas Atan’s management.

Basaksehir also featured in the Conference League last season, where they impressed in the early stages of qualifying before eventually bowing out in the league phase, and they will now aim to go even further this time around, starting with a solid performance away from home on Thursday.

The Turkish side have been quietly preparing for the new season with a handful of warm-up fixtures, drawing one and winning two of their three preseason games. 

Cherno More Conference League form:

Cherno More form (all competitions):

Istanbul Basaksehir Conference League form:

Istanbul Basaksehir form (all competitions):

Team News

Cherno More have no major injury concerns heading into the first leg, making it likely for coach Iliev to name a similar side to the one that featured against Lokomotiv Sofia last Friday

New signing Celso Sidney will likely start in front once again after playing the full match in the league opener.

For Istanbul Basaksehir, this will be their first competitive fixture of the season, and the Turkish side are expected to field a strong lineup, with goalkeeper Muhammed Sengezer likely starting between the sticks. 

Ousseynou Ba and Leo Duarte are expected to anchor the defence, while captain Omer Ali Sahiner should lead the midfield. 

Cherno More possible starting lineup:

Iliev; Martin, Drobarov, Atanasov, Donchev; Panayotov, Beyhan; Zlatev, Chandarov, Milushev; Sidney

Istanbul Basaksehir possible starting lineup:

Sengezer; Ba, Da Costa, Duarte, Operi; Bulut, Crespo, Ozdemir, Sahiner; Brnic, Sari

We say: Cherno More 1-2 Istanbul Basaksehir

With both sides eager to take a first-leg advantage, this promises to be a tight and competitive affair, and while this will be Basaksehir’s first competitive match of the season, their experience and squad depth could give them an edge against their Bulgarian hosts.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.

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