Fenerbahce vs Zimbru Prediction: Will the Istanbulians convincingly beat their rival?

Fenerbahçe start their European Cup campaign with matches against Moldovan Zimbru. Will the Istanbulians convincingly beat their inferior rival in the first game? Let's choose a few betting options.

Ahead of the start of the season, the Istanbul club took part in the PARI Premier Cup in St Petersburg. Fener started the tournament with a nil draw against Zenit. Then Ismail Kartal's team lost 1:3 to Red Star, who eventually won the tournament. Lastly, Istanbul beat Baku's Neftchi 1:0 to finish third in the friendly cup.

Last season Fenerbahçe, still under the leadership of Portugal Jorge Jesus, spent quite well - took second place in the Turkish championship and won the national cup. In the off-season, apart from the change of coach, there were quite a few changes in the team. The signing of legendary forward Edin Dzeko stands out. But there are a lot of other significant transfers. For example, defender Atilla Salai left Istanbul for Hoffenheim, and midfielder Arda Güler left for Real Madrid. Experienced winger Dusan Tadic from Ajax, Udinese defender Rodrigo Bekao and midfielder Sebastian Szymanski from Dynamo Moscow have also arrived.

The club from Kishinyov is much less known than Fenerbahce. Zimbru has won the Moldovan championship and started in the European Cup many times but has never reached the group stage. Last season Zimbru won bronze medals in the national championship, losing to Petrocub and Sheriff.

In the first round of the Conference League qualification, Zimbru faced San Marino club La Fiorita. They drew 1:1 away and won 1:0 at home.

At the PARI Premier Cup, Fenerbahçe showed that even against very strong opponents, they can control the pace of the game. In the match against Zimbru, the Istanbul team will probably not force events and will calmly bring the match to a successful result. What can be considered a success? Fener's victory with a difference of at least two goals. For example, Lilian Popescu's team conceded only nine goals in ten matches in the second part of the last Moldovan championship.