Istanbul Başakşehir will make their 70th appearance in European competition on Thursday when they visit Finland's Inter Turku in the second leg of their UEFA Conference League second qualifying round, with the Turkish club aiming to keep its continental campaign alive after a tightly contested first meeting.
The sides head into the decisive return leg level at 1-1 after last week's first leg in Istanbul. Inter Turku struck first through Clinton Jephta before defender Emin Bayram equalized early in the second half to leave the tie finely poised.
For Başakşehir, the match represents another milestone in a European journey that began just over a decade ago. Since making their continental debut during the 2015-16 season, the Istanbul club has steadily established itself as one of Türkiye's regular UEFA participants, competing in the Champions League, Europa League and Conference League.
Across 69 European matches, Başakşehir have recorded 26 wins, 18 draws and 25 defeats, scoring 103 goals while conceding 96.
The Conference League has become the club's most familiar UEFA competition in recent years. In 33 matches, Başakşehir have won 17, drawn 10 and lost six, scoring 64 goals and conceding 33. Their Champions League record stands at two wins, two draws and eight defeats from 12 matches, while they have collected seven victories, six draws and 11 losses in 24 Europa League fixtures.
Thursday's encounter also offers Başakşehir another opportunity to continue a European tradition that has included two appearances in the round of 16.
The Turkish side first reached the last 16 of the Europa League during the 2019-20 campaign, producing the club's deepest run in the competition. Three years later, Başakşehir repeated the achievement in the Conference League after advancing from the group stage before eventually seeing their campaign come to an end.
Their European history has featured several memorable milestones. Başakşehir's first continental match came in July 2015 with a 2-0 defeat to AZ Alkmaar in Europa League qualifying.
The following year, they celebrated their first qualification by eliminating Rijeka, before claiming their first European victory with a 2-0 win over Club Brugge in Champions League qualifying in August 2017.
The club's biggest European victory remains last season's emphatic 6-1 home win over La Fiorita in Conference League qualifying. Their heaviest defeats include 5-1 losses to Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League and Celje in last season's Conference League, as well as a 4-0 Europa League defeat at Roma.
Inter Turku, meanwhile, are looking to continue an encouraging European campaign after eliminating Bosnian side Sarajevo in the opening qualifying round. The Finnish runners-up ended a wait of more than two decades for a European knockout victory by edging Sarajevo 3-2 on aggregate, with Jephta scoring the decisive late goal.
The winger once again proved his value by opening the scoring in Istanbul last week and is expected to lead the attack after retaining his place in the starting lineup. Although Inter suffered a 2-1 domestic league defeat to Gnistan over the weekend that left them five points behind Veikkausliiga leaders KuPS, head coach Vesa Vasara has no new injury concerns and is expected to field the same side.
Defender Ilari Kangasniemi is also available despite receiving a red card in league action, as the suspension does not apply to UEFA competitions.
Başakşehir arrive in Finland better rested after not playing since the first leg. Head coach Nuri Şahin is expected to stick with the same 4-2-3-1 formation, with Bayram continuing in central defense after his equalizing goal.
The Turkish side are still seeking their first competitive victory since defeating Gaziantep on the final day of last season. Despite losing only one of their final eight Süper Lig matches, Başakşehir finished fifth for a second straight campaign, missing out on Europa League qualification by a narrow margin.
There have been encouraging signs ahead of Şahin's first full season in charge. Başakşehir won consecutive preseason friendlies, including an impressive victory over RB Salzburg, while their defensive consistency remained one of their biggest strengths after conceding just 35 league goals last season, the third-best record in the Süper Lig.
