How can Fenerbahçe finish in the top 24 of the Champions League?

Fenerbahçe began its return to the Champions League, which it had not played in since 2008, with a draw at home against Roma. After missing out on a win in that match, the Canaries then suffered a heavy blow, losing 6-0 to Aston Villa.

In Kadıköy, the Yellow and Navy Blues led Slavia Prague 2-0 but drew 2-2, and their morale took a hit as their top-24 hopes were on the verge of fading. The team then beat Liverpool 3-2, earning a historic win and reigniting their top-24 hopes.

Last season, 9 points was enough to reach the play-off round. Benfica, which sits 24th, has a goal difference of -2, while the Canaries currently have a goal difference of -5.

The Yellow and Navy Blues have three crucial matches ahead. The team will first face Shakhtar, coached by Arda Turan, in London, then travel to LASK Linz. In the final round of the league phase, they will play Villarreal in Kadıköy. The Spanish side is expected to have lost its hopes by then.

If two wins and one draw are taken from these three matches, the top 24 can be secured comfortably with 12 points. Even two wins may be enough. In that case, the club can travel to Atletico Madrid for the last match with ease. A harder but still possible scenario is to win all four matches and finish the league phase with 17 points. Last season, Manchester City finished 8th with 16 points. If Fenerbahçe pulls off this difficult feat, it could even go straight to the round of 16. In the club's history, advancing from the group stage of the Champions League has been achieved only once.