Ghanaian defender Alexander Djiku remains hopeful about Fenerbahce's chances of reaching the UEFA Champions League group stage under the guidance of manager Jose Mourinho.
The Turkish club is preparing to face LOSC Lille in the third round of qualifiers, aiming to progress to the next phase of the competition.
The match is scheduled for Tuesday night, with the aggregate winner advancing further.
In an interview with French media outlet L’Equipe, Djiku reflected on Fenerbahce’s previous Conference League campaign, where they were eliminated by Olympiacos in the quarter-finals after a penalty shootout. He acknowledged that such setbacks might have occurred earlier but remains confident that the team has learned from those experiences.
“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 noted.
When discussing Lille, Djiku recognized the potential impact of Canadian striker Jonathan David’s return from injury but remained unfazed. “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 added.
