Başakşehir, Konyaspor to make Europa League debuts

Beaten by Sevilla in the UEFA Champions League play-offs, Turkey's Başakşehir will make its UEFA Europa League group stage debut this season against Bulgaria's Ludogorets as Konyaspor visits Marseille. 

Başakşehir, the runner-up in last season's domestic title race, is highly motivated after it won 3-2 against city rival Fenerbahçe away, a first in its short history. 

Coach Abdullah Avcı also welcomes the return of Brazilian midfielder Mossoro from injury. 

Ludogorets from Bulgaria's Razgrad is without a win in eight European away matches. 
In the other game of Group C, Hoffenheim will host Braga. 

Last season's Turkey Cup winner Konyaspor will face a difficult test against France's Marseille in a bid to taste its first win in Europe. 

"This is a game that might offer us a shortcut in our route of improvement or it might help us see ourselves from a different point of view," Konyaspor boss Mustafa Reşit Akçay told journalists before the game. 

"I hope everything goes as we planned," he said, noting that his side is a team in making with new arrivals. 

Akçay is back in the group stage for a third time, having coached Trabzonspor and Osmanlıspor in past editions. As a youth specialist, he notably went unbeaten in his first 19 games in UEFA competition.

Konyaspor made its European competition debut in last year's UEFA Europa League group stage, but failed to win in six matches.

Konya and Marseille's Group I rivals Vitoria SC and Salsburg will meet in Portugal's Guimaraes.

Notable names in this year's group stage are England's Arsenal Spanish sides Villarreal and Real Sociedad as well as Italy's Milan and Lazio.

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