Date: 19 October 2006
Venue: St James' Park
KO Time: 2000 GMT
Fenerbahçe face Emre's Toon army
Newcastle United FC midfielder Emre Belözoğlu will be up against his countrymen as his side host Fenerbahçe SK in their opening UEFA Cup Group H game.
- The 42-times capped Turkish international started his career with Fenerbahçe's Istanbul rivals Galatasaray SK. He spent four seasons at the club before joining FC Internazionale Milano in the summer of 2001. He joined Newcastle from Inter in the summer of 2005.
- Newcastle and Fenerbahçe have never met before in European competition.
- 2006 UEFA Intertoto Cup winners Newcastle are veterans of 88 appearances in UEFA competition - 50 wins, 15 draws and 23 defeats.
- This will be Newcastle's first meeting with Turkish opposition.
- Fenerbahçe boast plenty of experience, having played 124 games in UEFA competition, winning 39, drawing 17 and losing 68.
- Fenerbahçe's Serbian striker Mateja Kežman knows more than most of his team-mates about English football having spent a season in the Premiership with Chelsea FC. Signed from PSV Eindhoven, he scored four goals in 24 league appearances in the 2004/05 season but - frustrated at a lack of first-team football - left for Club Atlético de Madrid in the summer of 2005.
- The Istanbul side have side have met English opponents on ten occasions since meeting Manchester City FC in a two-legged 1968/69 European Champion Clubs' Cup tie.
- They have won three of those meetings, drawn twice and lost five times. The highlight of those games was a 1-0 1996/97 UEFA Champions League win against Manchester United FC at Old Trafford. Elvir Bolić scored the only goal to end UnitedÂ’s 40-year unbeaten home run in Europe.
- Manchester United got their revenge in the 2004/05 edition of the tournament, losing 6-2 with Wayne Rooney scoring a hat-trick - it was Fenerbahçe's worst single result against English opposition.
- Forward Tuncay Şanli will have fond memories of his last meeting with an English side - he scored a hat-trick in a 3-0 win against Manchester United as the sides met again in the 2004/05 UEFA Champions League group stage.
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