Turkish teams set for Romanian clashes

Turkish teams Fenerbahce and Galatasaray take on Romanian opponents on Thursday on Matchday Four of the Europa League group stage.

Turkcell Super League leader Fenerbahce welcomes Steaua Bucharest in the Turkish largest city of Istanbul while Galatasaray traveled to the Romanian capital to face Dinamo Bucharest.

Both Istanbul teams won their first leg games two weeks ago.

Fenerbahce rose to the top of the Group H when it beat Steaua by a single goal from Kazim Kazim.

Defender Diego Lugano said a win over Steaua will keep Fenerbahce in the top spot, but he believes the team's work is not limited to winning the group.

Galatasaray also aims to maintain its lead in the Group F with a win over Dinamo Bucharest.

The Lions lead the group with two wins and one draw to collect seven points in three games. If Galatasaray wins the return leg it will virtually guarantee a place in the top two of the group.

At Stadionul Dinamo, Galatasaray will have the advantage of staving off home crowd pressure, because the game will be played behind closed doors.

European football's governing body UEFA has ordered the Bucharest side to play two matches behind closed doors after crowd trouble caused the abandonment of the team's play-off first leg against Slovan Liberec.

Two weeks ago, Galatasaray trounced Dinamo 4-1, with goals by Harry Kewell, Elano Blumer and a double from Shabani Nonda.

Source: Xinhua