Super Eagles defender Leon Balogun has expressed his admiration for Fenerbahçe manager José Mourinho but remains hopeful that Rangers can regain their form and advance to the UEFA Europa League quarter-finals.
Rangers secured automatic qualification to the Round of 16 after finishing top of their group, while their opponents, Turkish giants Fenerbahçe, earned their place by defeating Dutch side Anderlecht 5-3 on aggregate in the knockout play-off round.
The two teams will face off in the first leg of their Round of 16 clash on Thursday at the Ülker Stadium. Fenerbahçe enters the match in exceptional form, having gone unbeaten in their last 18 games across all competitions.
In contrast, Rangers have struggled in recent weeks and suffered a disappointing 2-1 defeat to Motherwell in the Scottish Premiership over the weekend.
Despite this, Leon Balogun remains optimistic about his team’s chances. He also recalled the only time he had faced Mourinho, a match in which his team came out on top—a result he hopes to replicate.
“I think I’ve only played against Mourinho once. That was my first time in the Premier League, and we beat him (Manchester United) 3-2 at home to Brighton,” Leon Balogun said, speaking ahead of the game.
“That was a great memory. He’s a very, very big character. He’s a very big manager in the world of football, and you have to have a lot of respect for Mourinho. I personally enjoy Mourinho’s press conferences because I think a lot of people call him arrogant.
“Maybe, but I think he’s a very special character. And I think you need a few characters that are not too generic to make football fun. It also gives you (the media) something to write about.”
Looking ahead to the challenge against Fenerbahçe, Balogun emphasized the significance of securing a positive result in the first leg.
“Fenerbahçe away is a big opportunity for us. After what happened at home, playing the first game away and getting the fans back on our side could be beneficial. However, we still need to take at least two big steps from today to get a good result in Istanbul.
“The fact that we will probably be playing European football again in a week will also help us. So this is a big chance, a big opportunity. We really need to give everything to the game. We already have to do that, but now even more so.”
