Trabzonspor will look to make the most of home advantage Thursday when they host Ferencvaros in the first leg of their UEFA Europa League playoff tie, with a place in the league phase at stake.
The match at Papara Park will kick off at 8:00 p.m. local time.
The return leg is scheduled for Aug. 27 at Groupama Arena in Budapest, making Thursday's meeting an important opportunity for Trabzonspor to build an advantage before traveling to Hungary.
Trabzonspor earned a direct place in the playoff round after winning last season's Turkish Cup. The Black Sea Storm bypassed the earlier qualifying rounds and now face a Ferencvaros side that coach Fatih Tekke has acknowledged is stronger on paper.
That warning comes after an underwhelming start to Trabzonspor's domestic campaign. The team opened its Super Lig season with a 1-1 draw away to Kasimpasa on Sunday, surrendering the lead after Noah Saviolo's opener was canceled out by Adrian Benedyczak's penalty.
Still, the match provided Trabzonspor fans with an encouraging glimpse of their biggest offseason signing.
Mohamed Salah came off the bench in the 58th minute to make his competitive debut for the club. Despite playing only around 30 minutes, the Egyptian forward made an immediate impact, recording the highest expected-goals figure of any player in the match, creating two chances and attempting eight crosses.
The performance has strengthened expectations that Salah will be handed his first start against Ferencvaros.
The 34-year-old joined Trabzonspor on a two-year contract after nine seasons at Liverpool, making the move one of the most prominent free transfers in Super Lig history. Salah also helped Egypt reach the round of 16 at the 2026 World Cup and brings extensive European experience to a Trabzonspor side seeking to return to the Europa League league phase.
A first start at Papara Park would also give the club's supporters their first opportunity to watch Salah from the opening whistle in a competitive home match.
Trabzonspor will have another major attacking threat in Paul Onuachu, who finished last season as one of the Super Lig's joint-top scorers with 22 goals. The combination of Onuachu's physical presence and Salah's creativity could provide the hosts with the attacking firepower needed to break down an experienced Ferencvaros defense.
However, Tekke may also be tempted to approach the first leg cautiously. Ferencvaros have already shown their ability to navigate European qualifying ties and will arrive in Trabzon with confidence.
The Hungarian champions eliminated Gornik Zabrze in the previous qualifying round. Ferencvaros won the first leg 1-0 and drew the return 1-1 to advance 2-1 on aggregate.
That result also guaranteed Ferencvaros at least a place in the Conference League league phase, meaning they can approach the playoff with some security regardless of the outcome.
Their recent European record further underlines the challenge facing Trabzonspor. Last season, Ferencvaros recovered from a 2-0 aggregate deficit against Ludogorets to win 3-2 in the Europa League knockout playoff round.
They have also remained unbeaten away from home during this season's qualifying campaign, beating Vojvodina and Twente while drawing with Gornik.
Papara Park, however, could provide Trabzonspor with a significant boost.
The club's supporters have shown strong interest in the first European home match of the season, with tickets reportedly close to selling out. The 41,000-capacity stadium is expected to be packed, creating the kind of atmosphere Trabzonspor will hope can unsettle the visitors.
The hosts will have to cope with several absences. Okay Yokuslu and Arseniy Batagov were not included on the UEFA squad list because of their fitness situations, while Tim Jabol-Folcarelli continues to recover from a knee injury and Ernest Muci is sidelined with a hamstring problem.
Ferencvaros have no fresh injury concerns following their victory over Gornik and are expected to field a largely unchanged lineup.
Goalkeeper Denes Dibusz remains an important figure for the Hungarian champions, while Kristoffer Zachariassen and Lenny Joseph have played key roles in their attack during the qualifying campaign.
