Fenerbahce vs Aston Villa prediction 22.01.2026 | Europa League

Fenerbahce have another solid season. In the Turkish Super Lig, they are one point behind the league leader, Galatasaray, while in the Europa League, Domenico Tedesco's team collected 11 points in six rounds and shouldn't have problems qualifying for at least the 1/16 phase. Fenerbahce are in good form, having won four games in a row. In the previous match, they won 3-2 on the road against Alanyaspor. Although the scoreline suggests a close contest, Fenerbahce were clearly the better side, finishing with an xG of 2.31 compared to the hosts' 0.67.

Fenerbahce's boss, Domenico Tedesco, was very satisfied after the victory against Alanyaspor. He said, "As long as we win, it doesn't matter. Sometimes we play well in the first halves, sometimes in the second halves. It's not always up to us. In situations that depend on us, we do our best. We will learn lessons from today. Our opponent worked very well against us. Every match has a different story, and every opponent is different. We usually talk about bad things, but we played a very dominant game in the second half."

Fenerbahce and Al Ittihad's N'Golo Kante reached an agreement. However, the Saudi club still didn't agree on the terms, so the Turkish giants continue negotiations. Both Fenerbahce and Kante are applying pressure to Al Ittihad, and it will not be surprising if the defensive midfielder leaves Saudi Arabia in the next week.

Fenerbahce's Archie Brown is injured and will not play on Thursday evening against Aston Villa.

Aston Villa returned to the best four Premier League teams this season. Also, in the Europa League, they are among the best teams in the competition with five wins and only one defeat. Unai Emery's team has slowed down in recent weeks, winning only two of the last five matches. In the most recent outing, Aston Villa lost 1-0 at home against Everton. According to the stats, the hosts were significantly better, but a lack of efficiency cost them points. 

After a defeat against Everton, Aston Villa's head coach, Unai Emery, was frustrated. He said that his team is still far from being a contender and that they are probably not even top five in the competition. 

Aston Villa have some problems with missing players. Ross Barkley, Amadou Onana, and Boubacar Kamara are injured and will not travel to Istanbul. Also, Jadon Sancho and John McGinn are questionable for the upcoming clash.