Will van Persie prevent a magical European night in Kadiköy?

Robin van Persie played for Fenerbahce for two and a half years during his active career. In November 2016, the striker scored twice to secure a 2-0 victory in the intercontinental derby against Galatasaray, winning the hearts of Fener fans. On Tuesday evening, the 42-year-old returns to Istanbul in his role as head coach of Feyenoord Rotterdam. However, the Dutch national team’s record goalscorer has not brought any gifts with him.

Instead, he wants to help his team reach the playoffs and deal his former club a first blow in the new season. The likelihood that last year’s Champions League quarter-finalists will progress between Fenerbahçe and Feyenoord Rotterdam is not so low, as “De Club aan de Maas” won the first leg 2-1 in front of their home crowd a week ago thanks to a last-minute goal.

The hosts are therefore under considerable pressure, as they had set themselves the clear goal of qualifying for the UEFA Champions League group stage. Should the Turkish runners-up manage to overturn the deficit and make it through to the final qualifying round, they would face the winner of the tie between Benfica Lisbon and OSC Lille.

In any case, the fact that they have had a whole week to prepare for this second leg speaks in favor of legendary coach Jose Mourinho’s team. The league opener against Alanyaspor, which was originally scheduled for Saturday, was postponed due to international commitments. The traditional home strength can also be cited as a potential argument for a Fenerbahce vs. Feyenoord Rotterdam prediction in favor of the home side. In the previous season, only one of eight matches in the European Cup was lost at home. In the Süperlig, the Yellow Canaries won 14 of their 18 home games.

Compared to the first leg, the Portuguese head coach is likely to make a few changes. The two new signings, Nelson Semedo and Jhon Duran, are pushing for a place in the starting line-up, as is the recovered Talisca, who is expected to bring more creativity to the team’s attack.

In general, spectators can expect a lively second leg. The Turks are desperate for a win, while the in-form Rotterdam side, who won their first league game of the season 2-0 against NAC Breda at the weekend, are always capable of creating top-quality chances. That’s exactly why, ahead of the Fenerbahce vs. Feyenoord Rotterdam match, I recommend betting on not only both teams scoring, but also at least three goals being scored in regular time.

Fenerbahce – Feyenoord Rotterdam Head-to-head record / H2H record

Last week’s first leg was the fifth meeting between these two teams. Feyenoord came out on top for the third time. Fenerbahce has only two wins in total. The aforementioned 2-1 win for the Dutch runners-up was fortunate in that Sofyan Amrabat did not equalize until the 86th minute. Hadj Moussa nevertheless secured the home win for Rotterdam with his goal in the 91st minute.

Fenerbahce – Feyenoord Rotterdam Tip

Robin van Persie will have to do without several key defensive players in the second leg this week. Thomas Beelen, Gernot Trauner, Gijs Smal, Jeremy Mitchell, and Antef Tsoungui are all unavailable due to injury. With Anel Ahmedhodzic and Tsuyoshi Watanabe, two new signings will once again have to form the center of the back four. It will be exciting to see how “De Trots van Zuid” cope with the breathtaking atmosphere in Istanbul’s Kadiköy district and whether they can actually hold their own. I think Feyenoord are capable of a lot in attack, but defensively they could be in for a rude awakening against the Turks’ concentrated offensive power.

On the one hand, I wouldn’t rule out the home side winning the second leg by exactly one goal, which would take the game into extra time or even penalties. The Betano app is offering odds of 6.90 for this, which is a tempting offer to take advantage of the $20 Betano free bet. On the other hand, it might make sense to consider the betting odds for over goals between Fenerbahce and Feyenoord Rotterdam. For both teams to score, including three or more goals in regular time, you can get a solid 1.90 at Bwin. Five out of a possible ten units is my personal stake!