JOSE MOURINHO DEMANDS TV EXPERTS SOLVE FENERBAHCE LB PROBLEM

Fenerbahce coach Jose Mourinho has appealed to the "experts" in the Turkish media to help him solve his left-back dilemma for their next Europa League game against Olympique Lyon.

The Turkish outfit is without injured left-back Jayden Oosterwolde and Mert Müldür, who is suspended following his sending off in Wednesday's Europa League 2-0 home defeat to Athletic Club.

"If you look at our next [Europa League] match against Olympique Lyon, Müldür is suspended, who is going to play left-back?" Mourinho said. "If anyone of you can help me, if any one of the experts of TV can help me. Who is going to play left-back?"

Fenerbahce, who have won two and lost two of their six Europa League games, are hoping to win the Super Lig title this season for the first time since 2014.

Saturday's 1-0 league loss at Besiktas, which ended a five-game winning run, left them second in the standings, six points adrift of Galatasaray.

Mourinho is clearly frustrated with selection dilemmas.

"Sometimes you [media] look at things without knowing the reality of the things well," he said.

"I don't know because unfortunately I can only say a few words of Turkish, if we as a club give you the right information to understand situations. I would love to have all of my players available. You see how difficult it is for us. We didn't have a single midfielder on the bench [against Athletic]."

Jose Mourinho has appealed to the Turkish media to solve Fenerbache's left-back dilemma. Photo by Ahmad Mora - UEFA/UEFA via Getty Images

Asked about signing reinforcements in the upcoming transfer window, Mourinho said: "I'm happy with my players. I don't throw my players under the bus. Don't expect me to come here and to tell you that I would like to have better players.

"I would like to have Jayden Oosterwolde available because for us it's really hard [without him]. But don't worry, we are going to qualify [in the Europa League]. We have two games left to get three points, and we'll get that. We are going to be stronger in the second half of the season."

Mourinho, meanwhile, clarified the comments he made earlier this week about wanting to see Athletic star Nico Williams play for Real Madrid one day.

"I love Nico Williams and when I said that I would like him to wear the Madrid jersey I didn't remember that Real Madrid has Vinícius [Júnior]," he said on Wednesday.

"I said it because I'm a Blanco [Madrid] fan and as a Blanco, you always think that way. Real Madrid has Vinícius, who is incredible, but I love this kid [Nico] who has incredible quality. He's a player that I love."

- Adriana Garcia

FENERBAHCE WALK OFF FIRST MINUTE TO FORFEIT TURKISH SUPER CUP

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Fenerbahce players walked off the pitch after one minute of Sunday's Turkish Super Cup match against Galatasaray, forcing the game to be abandoned and conceding the trophy.

Fenerbahce, who fielded their Under-19 team, withdrew from the rearranged match in Sanliurfa about 1,000 km from Istanbul after Galatasaray's Argentine striker Mauro Icardi scored.

Media reported the club had requested the game be postponed ahead of their Europa Conference League quarterfinal, first leg at Olympiakos Piraeus on Thursday but were turned down.

Fenerbahçe president Yıldırım Ali Koç spoke of a "rebellion" in a statement on the club's website, where he detailed alleged injustices going back over the years. "It is time for a 'reset' for Turkish football," Koc said.

Two Fenerbahçe players, İrfan Can Eğribayat and Jayden Oosterwolde, were banned for one match by the Turkish soccer federation last week after a Superlig game against Trabzonspor. Trabzonspor fans had charged onto the pitch after the final whistle. Trabzonspor was ordered to play six games without fans as punishment.

"As the largest sports club in the world, with 30 million fans who embody the national values of their respective countries, we'll continue to stand tall today and in the future, just as we did yesterday," Fenerbahce said on social media Sunday.

The Turkish Super Cup was scheduled to be played in Saudi Arabia's capital Riyadh in December, but was postponed.

Media reported at the time that the two teams would not play the match as Saudi authorities did not allow the players to wear T-shirts featuring the founder of modern Turkey, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, in the warmup ahead of the evening kickoff.