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Fenerbahce plan glorious decade

Tue 19 Feb, 06:00 PM


Fenerbahce president Aziz Yilidrim claims his club are set to embark on an era of greatness, starting with a Champions League win over Sevilla.Wednesday's last-16 first-leg fixture in Turkey represents the first time Fenerbahce have made the knockout stage in five attempts and Yilidrim believes the feat marks the start of a prolonged period of dominance for his side.

"The next 10 years will be for Fenerbahce, everyone should accept that," he said.

"We have not yet reached our full potential, but Fenerbahce has taken the first step on the way to further growth.

"[We] will be like Chelsea, AC Milan or Real Madrid within 10 years. This is inevitable."

His optimism comes on the back of Fenerbahce's record-breaking run in the group stage.

Fenerbahce not only finished in their highest ever position in the group stage, but their 11-point tally was the best a Turkish team has managed since the competition began, surpassing Galatasaray's total of 10 points in the second group stage in 2000/01.

Fener have won all their home Champions League games this season, conceding just one goal in the process.

Coach Zico has a near full squad to choose from, with long-term injury victim Steven Appiah the only certain absentee.

New signing Claudio Maldonado was confined to the substitutes bench for Fenerbahce's 4-2 Super Lig win over Rizespor at the weekend and is set to stay there for the game with Sevilla, while Semih Senturk has almost recovered from a knee injury and will train before the match.

Zico said: "Despite not having carried out our last training session yet, I have already decided who I'm going to play against Sevilla.

"Semih is ready as well as Maldonado, but I'm thinking of going with last week's starting 11."

Sevilla, like Fenerbahce, come into the game after a 4-2 league win at the weekend.

They, too, are making their bow in the knockout round, but have achieved the feat in their first season of Champions League football.

And after some problems earlier in the season, club president Jose Maria del Nido believes Sevilla are rediscovering the form that saw them win the UEFA Cup in each of the past two seasons.

"It finally seems that those players that we have trusted when they were down are starting to carry the weight again," he said.

"We are at a special moment - Sevilla's high scoring and ambitious play has returned, and it was evident in our past game last Saturday against Espanyol."

Sevilla also have players returning for the game, with Adriano and Seydou Keita both back from European suspensions.

Jose Angel Crespo may return from a thigh injury but Javi Navarro and Ernesto Chevanton (both knee) are definitely out of the tie.

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