Super Eagles star tipped for starting role as Manchester United face Mourinho’s Fenerbahce

Nigerian defender Bright Osayi-Samuel is expected to start for Fenerbahce when the Turkish club hosts Manchester United in their upcoming Europa League clash, Soccernet.ng reports. 

Osayi-Samuel has not featured for Fenerbahce since their 2-1 victory over Union St. Gilloise in the UEFA Europa League on September 26.

In that match, the Super Eagles full-back was shown a red card after only 25 minutes on the pitch. Despite the sending-off, he played a role in Fenerbahce’s winning goal.

In his absence, Fenerbahce coach José Mourinho turned to Mert Müldür, who impressed as Fenerbahce went on to defeat Antalyaspor and secure draws against Twente Enschede and Samsunspor.

However, a tougher challenge looms on Thursday as Premier League giants Manchester United visit the Ülker Stadyumu Fenerbahçe Şükrü Saracoğlu Spor Kompleksi in Istanbul for a Europa League showdown.

Mourinho, who managed Manchester United for two years and guided them to a Europa League and EFL Cup double in 2017, will be determined not to lose to his former club, particularly on home soil.

Turkish outlet Fanatik (via Mackolik) reports that the Portuguese tactician is likely to restore Osayi-Samuel to the starting lineup for this key fixture.

This will be the first meeting between the two sides since November 2016, when Mourinho’s Manchester United suffered a 2-1 defeat to Fenerbahce in the group stage of the Europa League.

Fenerbahce have made a solid start to their current Europa League campaign, picking up four points from their opening two games, including a 2-1 win over Union St. Gilloise and a 1-1 draw with FC Twente.

The Yellow Canaries are confident of extending their unbeaten home run in the competition, having gone seven games without defeat at home (W4 D3).

They will also take encouragement from having won their last two home encounters against Manchester United.

Despite this, Mourinho has won only two of his last 17 games against teams he previously managed (D4 L11), though one of those victories was a resounding 6-1 triumph at Old Trafford with Tottenham Hotspur in October 2020.

Fenerbahce will hope Osayi-Samuel can make an impact on his return, as Mourinho plots a tactical masterclass against his former club.