Trabzonspor will look to extend their perfect start to the UEFA Conference League when they host German side Freiburg at Papara Park on Thursday, with Thomas Reis' men chasing a third consecutive European victory and a place among the competition's early pace-setters.
The Black Sea Storm head into the Matchday 3 encounter in impressive form, having won their opening two league-phase matches and recorded seven successive victories across all competitions.
Freiburg, meanwhile, arrive in Türkiye with renewed confidence after recovering from a difficult spell with back-to-back domestic wins.
Thursday's match, which kicks off at 8:45 p.m. local time, will also mark Trabzonspor's 160th appearance in European competition and their first meeting with Freiburg.
Trabzonspor have made an encouraging start to their continental campaign, opening with an entertaining 4-2 away victory over Finland's KuPS before beating Scotland's Hearts 2-0 at Papara Park.
Those results have complemented an impressive domestic run under Reis, who has overseen victories against Beşiktaş, Rizespor and Gaziantep, among others, as the Turkish side continue to build momentum.
Their home form has been particularly encouraging, with six consecutive victories at Papara Park. Another win would extend that sequence to seven and give them a third straight triumph in major European competition, a feat they have not achieved since November 2013.
A victory would also see Trabzonspor win their first three league-phase matches in a European campaign for only the second time in the club's history.
However, Freiburg represent a different level of opposition from their previous Conference League opponents, bringing considerable European experience despite their inconsistent start to the season.
Julian Schuster's side reached last season's UEFA Europa League final before losing to Aston Villa in Istanbul, underlining their ability to compete against established continental opposition.
Freiburg began this season's Conference League campaign with a narrow 3-2 victory over Jablonec but suffered a 3-0 defeat away to Monaco in their second fixture. Their European setback was followed by a 3-1 Bundesliga loss to Bayern Munich, extending a difficult spell for the German club.
They have since responded with a 3-2 victory over Wolfsburg in the DFB-Pokal before securing a 2-1 away win against Augsburg in the Bundesliga.
Despite that recovery, Freiburg's away record in European competition remains a concern. They have lost four of their previous five continental away matches, a statistic Trabzonspor will hope to exploit in front of their home supporters.
The visitors will also be wary of a Trabzonspor side that have demonstrated considerable attacking threat, scoring four goals against KuPS and producing another convincing performance against Rizespor in the league.
Thursday's encounter will be the first time the clubs have faced each other, adding another chapter to Trabzonspor's European history.
The Turkish side have played 159 matches in continental competition since making their European debut in the 1976-77 season, recording 58 victories, 39 draws and 62 defeats. They have scored 200 goals and conceded 216.
Their European record includes 30 matches in the European Cup and UEFA Champions League, 99 in the UEFA Cup and Europa League, 12 in the Cup Winners' Cup, eight in the Intertoto Cup and 10 in the Conference League.
The Freiburg match will be Trabzonspor's 11th appearance in the Conference League, a competition they first entered during the 2021-22 season.
Across their previous 10 matches in the tournament, they have recorded three victories, four draws and three defeats, scoring 13 goals and conceding 14.
Their European campaign this season also included two defeats against Hungarian side Ferencváros in the Europa League playoff round, losing 1-0 at home before suffering a 4-0 defeat away. They subsequently dropped into the Conference League, where their performances have been considerably more encouraging.
The match will also end a 27-year wait for Trabzonspor to face another German opponent in European competition. Their previous meeting with a German club came against Hamburg in the 1999-2000 Intertoto Cup semifinals.
Trabzonspor drew the first leg 2-2 at home on July 28, 1999, but lost the return leg 4-1 on Aug. 4 to exit the competition.
Overall, the Turkish club have faced German opposition eight times, winning once, drawing twice and losing five matches.
Their biggest European victory remains a 6-0 win over Albania's Vllaznia in the 2007-08 Intertoto Cup, while their heaviest defeat came against Barcelona in the 1990-91 Cup Winners' Cup, when they lost 7-2 away from home.
Former striker Hami Mandıralı remains the club's leading European goalscorer with 23 goals.
Trabzonspor will have several selection problems to manage ahead of Freiburg's visit.
Sidny Lopes Cabral is suspended following his red card against Hearts, while Aral Şimşir, Franculino Dju, Arseniy Batagov and young goalkeeper Onuralp Çevikkan are ruled out through injury.
There are also concerns over the availability of Ruslan Malinovskyi, Okay Yokuşlu and Cihan Çanak, while Nigerian striker Paul Onuachu's fitness will be monitored after he returned to the starting lineup against Gaziantep following a two-match absence through injury.
Freiburg are expected to be without Philipp Treu, who is recovering from an ankle problem, and Florent Muslija, who remains sidelined with a cruciate ligament injury.
Schuster should nevertheless have experienced options available, particularly in central defense, where Matthias Ginter and Philipp Lienhart are expected to provide stability.
Maximilian Eggestein and Yannik Engelhardt are among the midfield alternatives, while Vincenzo Grifo, Yuito Suzuki and Jan-Niklas Beste could supply the creativity behind Igor Matanovic.
Matanovic arrives in Istanbul in encouraging form, having scored in each of Freiburg's last two matches.
