Fenerbahçe host Lyon in Champions League play-off first leg
Fenerbahçe will host Lyon at the Chobani Stadium Fenerbahce Sukru Saracoglu on 18 August in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League play-off tie, with a place in the competition's group phase at stake.
The two sides last met in January 2025, when they played out a goalless draw in the UEFA Europa League. This latest meeting arrives in a very different context, with both clubs chasing Champions League football rather than facing off in the Europa League.
Form lines favour the hosts
Fenerbahçe arrive in considerably better shape, having won four of their last five matches and drawn the other, a run that has them full of confidence heading into the tie. Lyon, by contrast, have managed just two wins from their own last five outings, with three defeats mixed in, leaving them with more ground to make up in terms of recent momentum.
That contrast in form will not decide the tie on its own, but it does mean Fenerbahçe head into the first leg as the side with the stronger recent record between the two.
What is at stake
A positive result in Istanbul would give Fenerbahçe a platform to carry into the second leg, while Lyon will be looking to avoid conceding an advantage before the tie moves to France. With qualification for the Champions League group stage on the line, neither side will want to fall behind in the opening fixture of the play-off round.