Vincenzo Italiano's Besiktas begin with a first test against Midtjylland

Besiktas are stepping onto the European stage to open their new season. The Black-and-Whites host Danish side Midtjylland tonight (Thursday, July 23) at 21:00 at Tupras Stadium (Besiktas Park) in the first leg of the UEFA Europa League second qualifying round. The match will be officiated by Spanish referee Ricardo de Burgos, assisted by Iker De Francisco and Asier Perez De Mendiola, and broadcast live on S Sport Plus. The second leg takes place in Denmark on Thursday, July 30; the winner will face the victor of the Tromso (Norway) - Hradec Kralove (Czechia) tie in the third qualifying round, while the loser drops into the Conference League third qualifying round to face the winner of Bohemian - Ballkani.

The match carries special significance for the club's new head coach, Vincenzo Italiano. Having signed a two-year contract in June, the Italian tactician will take charge of his first official test at the helm of the Black-and-Whites and will also meet the fans in a competitive fixture for the first time. New signing Leandro Trossard did not make Besiktas' UEFA squad list, as he is currently on leave. The Black-and-Whites played six friendlies during their pre-season camp in Slovakia, beating Gyirmot 2-1 and SV Mattersburg 1-0, drawing with MTE 1904 KFT and Dinamo Malzenice, and losing to Spartak Trnava and Widzew Lodz.

Besiktas' probable lineup: Alexander Nubel — Amir Murillo, Emmanuel Agbadou, Emirhan Topcu, Kassoum Ouattara — Salih Ozcan, Orkun Kokcu — Vaclav Cerny, Junior Olaitan, Ilhan Fakili — Hyeon-Gyu Oh.

The opposition are also sending a notable message of confidence. Midtjylland head coach Mike Tullberg said at today's press conference: "We've had a good pre-season camp. We hold Besiktas in great respect, they have a huge history. They were very good in the final months of last season, they signed new players, changed their coach. But we believe in ourselves too, and we'll do everything we can to push Besiktas in both matches." Noting that his squad contains players of 17 different nationalities, Tullberg added: "We don't have the financial power Besiktas has, but we compete with our own style of play." Team captain Rasmus Nissen Kristensen said: "We've had a good pre-season and we believe in ourselves. It'll be a tough match, but we've come here to fight."

Midtjylland's performance last season was far from ordinary. They finished second in the Danish Superliga with 60 points from 32 matches (16 wins, 12 draws, 4 losses), and won the Danish Cup final 1-0 against FC Copenhagen thanks to Lee Han-beom's 82nd-minute goal — their third-ever cup title. In Europe, they finished third out of 36 teams in the Europa League league phase, advancing directly to the last 16, where they beat Nottingham Forest 1-0 away in the first leg before being eliminated on penalties after holding the score through extra time in the return leg. Danish Superliga top scorer Franculino Dju, with 17 goals, and South Korean striker Cho Gue-sung stand among the most notable weapons in their attack.

Midtjylland's probable lineup (3-4-2-1): Jonas Lossl — Mads Bech Sorensen, Han-Beom Lee, Ousmane Diao — Abdou Aziz Ndiaye, Denil Castillo, Pedro Bravo, Philip Billing — Mikel Gogorza, Andreasen — Cho Gue-sung.

There is no direct head-to-head history between the two clubs; Midtjylland previously faced Turkish opposition twice against Osmanlispor in the Europa League play-off round, losing both matches, and drew 2-2 with Fenerbahce in the Europa League group stage. In that sense, the Besiktas-Midtjylland clash marks the start of a new rivalry for both clubs.

Image: CNN