Ghanaian defender Alexander Djiku is confident that Fenerbahce’s dream of reaching the group stage of the UEFA Champions League under Jose Mourinho remains on course.
The Turkish giants travel to France for the third round of qualifiers against LOSC Lille, with hopes of progressing to the next stage.
In an interview with French media outlet L’Equipe, Djiku reflected on last year’s Conference League campaign, where Fenerbahce were eliminated by Olympiacos on penalties in the quarter-finals. He acknowledged that a similar outcome could have happened earlier, but believes that his team has learned from their mistakes.
“Last year, we thought we could face Lille in the Conference League semi-finals, but we were eliminated by Olympiacos on penalties in the quarter-finals (Lille were also eliminated by Aston Villa). It could have happened earlier,” Djiku said.
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Lille, who will be without key player Pepe due to injury, could welcome back Canadian striker Jonathan David for the tie following his participation in the Copa America. However, Djiku is unbothered by the presence of Lille’s star man.
“Jonathan David is a very talented player and a great mover on the pitch. He is also very effective in deep runs. Lille with Jonathan David and Lille without him are two different teams. However, we did not have a special preference for the opponent, whether it was Lille or another team. The road will be difficult but we are confident,” he said.
Despite acknowledging the challenges ahead, Djiku is optimistic about Fenerbahce’s chances of progressing to the next stage.
