The defender will have the opportunity tonight to impress Jose Mourinho in the UEFA Champions League second round playoff

Ghana 🇬🇭 defender Alexander Djiku will play his first official game under Jose Mourinho tonight as Fenerbahce face Lugano in the Uefa Champions League first leg of the second round playoffs at the Arena Thun in Switzerland.

Mourinho, after his exit from Serie A side A.S Roma, turned his attention to Turkey and signed for The Yellow Canaries in an attempt to bring them continental glories.

Djiku has been one of the players tipped to excel under Mourinho especially since the former Chelsea, Real Madrid and Manchester United coach is a fan of tough-tackling defenders.

“I am happy with the decision to come to Fenerbahce. I have enjoyed working a lot with the team since the first day and Alexander Djiku is one of them,” Mourinho said in the pre-match interview ahead of the game.

Lugano, who finished finishing bottom in a Europa League group consisting of Club Brugge, Bodo/Glimt and Besiktas during the 2023/24 season, turned their campaign around as they finished second in the Swiss top flight last season.

However, many people believe this tie could be termed as a mismatch especially with the inclusion of Mourinho in the visitors’ technical staff and also how the Portuguese’s coach side dispatched Strasbourg 4-0 and Hull City 5-1 in a friendlies recently.

Referee Tiago Bruno Lopes Martins stadium from Portugal will be in the centre of affairs to ensure fairness and the return fixture has been slated for August 10 at the Şükrü Saracoğlu Stadium.