Fenerbahçe faces Aston Villa in 308th European match

Fenerbahçe travels to Birmingham to face Aston Villa on Wednesday at 22:00 local time in the second round of the UEFA Champions League league phase. The match at Villa Park marks the Turkish side's 308th appearance in European competition.

Fenerbahçe drew 1-1 with Roma in their opener, leaving them on one point, while Aston Villa defeated Club Brugge 3-2 to claim three points. The Turkish club has won 122, drawn 68, and lost 117 of its previous 307 European matches, scoring 418 goals and conceding 427.

In the Champions League specifically, this will be Fenerbahçe's 42nd match. The Yellow Canaries have recorded 11 wins, 7 draws, and 23 losses in the competition proper, with a goal difference of 43 scored and 71 conceded. This is the club's seventh season in the main stage and first under the new 36-team format.

The two sides meet for the fourth time overall. Aston Villa won both legs of their 1977-78 UEFA Cup first-round tie, while Fenerbahçe won 1-0 in Istanbul during a Europa League meeting last January. Slovak referee Ivan Kruzliak will officiate, assisted by Branislav Hancko and Jan Pozor, with Tiago Martins on VAR duty.

The match will be broadcast live in Turkey on TRT 1 and CBC Sport. Fenerbahçe aims to improve its record against English clubs, having won only 6 of 23 previous encounters, with 4 draws and 13 defeats.