Analysis of Fenerbahçe's European opponent Union SG

The UEFA Europa Conference League Round of 16 matchups were determined by the draw held today at 15:00 TSI. In this competition, which is Europe's third-largest tournament, our representative Fenerbahçe was drawn against the Belgian side Union Saint-Gilloise.

So, what kind of team is Union SG? How has the Belgian side performed in Europe and their domestic league this season?

Union Saint-Gilloise is a football club competing in the Belgian League. Union SG won the Belgian League 11 times between 1904 and 1935. Following that period, the club went 48 years without a championship. Union SG ended its 48-year title drought by winning the Belgian second division in the 2020-21 season. In their first season back in the Pro League, they managed to finish the regular season in first place with 77 points, but they finished the season in 2nd place after being surpassed by Club Brugge in the play-off group.

BELGIAN LEAGUE PERFORMANCE

Displaying a very successful performance in the Belgian Pro League this season, Union SG currently sits in first place with 62 points, having recorded 19 wins, 5 draws, and 2 losses in the 26 league matches they have played. There is an 8-point gap between Union SG and their closest rival in the league, Anderlecht. The Belgian side aims to end their championship drought in the Belgian first division by winning the title this season.

EUROPEAN PERFORMANCES

Starting their European journey this season in the Europa League play-off round, Union SG was drawn against the Swiss representative Lugano. Defeating Lugano 2-0 and 1-0 in the two matches, Union SG earned the right to participate in the Europa League group stage.

Placed in Group E of the UEFA Europa League, Union SG was drawn against Liverpool, Toulouse, and LASK. Collecting 8 points from 6 matches in this group with 2 wins, 2 draws, and 2 losses, Union SG finished third and managed to qualify for the Conference League play-off round. While Liverpool finished as the leader of Europa League Group E, the French side Toulouse finished 2nd and continued their journey in the second-tier competition.

In the Conference League play-off round, they were drawn against one of Germany's strong teams, Eintracht Frankfurt. Drawing 2-2 with their opponent in the first leg of the tie, Union SG managed to secure their place in the Round of 16 by defeating their opponent 2-1 away in the return leg played in Germany. The Yellow-Navy Blues were then drawn against our representative Fenerbahçe in the Round of 16.

THEY PLAY WITH A THREE-MAN DEFENSE

Union SG has been managed by 50-year-old German coach Alexander Blessin since the beginning of the season. At the start of the season, the Belgian side added players such as Kevin Rodríguez, Kevin Mac Allister, Mohamed Amoura, and Alessio Castro-Montes to their squad.

Union SG generally prefers systems based on a three-man defense, such as 3-4-3 and 3-5-2.

AVERAGE AGE OF 25

The most striking feature of the Union SG team is that their average age is quite low. Of the 26 players in the Yellow-Navy Blues' A-team squad, 23 are under the age of 30. Only the team's goalkeepers Anthony Moris, Heinz Lindner, and the team's right-back Guillaume François stand out as players over the age of 30 in the Union SG squad. The total average age of the Belgian team's squad is determined to be 25.

BEST PLAYERS

It can be said that the most valuable piece of the Union SG squad is 23-year-old Mohamed Amoura, who transferred to the Belgian side at the beginning of the season. The 23-year-old Algerian center-forward has managed to score 20 goals in all official matches this season. Having played in 30 matches across all competitions this season, Amoura has become the team's top scorer by finding the net 20 times. The Algerian center-forward is followed by Swedish center-forward Gustaf Nilsson with 11 goals and German center-forward Dennis Eckert Ayensa with 9 goals. Union SG's number 10, Cameron Puertas, has also drawn attention with his 8 goals. Our representative Fenerbahçe needs to be careful of the Puertas-Amoura-Nilsson trio in these upcoming matches.

News Source: 12punto