Zico Believes Fenerbahce Will Be Ready for Celta Vigo

Fenerbahce fans have been worried about today's UEFA Cup matchup with Celta Vigo for some time. Sandwiched between huge league games vs. Trabzonspor and Galatasaray, it would be easy for Fener to be emotionally tired and not fully focused vs. Celta Vigo. Fener manager Zico, however, believes that won't be the case. "We are mentally ready for these games. We knew the dates of these games beforehand. We can start thinking about the Galatasaray game as of Friday."

Fenerbahce has injury issues headed into today's match, especially without starting GK Rustu Recber. The Yellow Canaries will also be without the services of Umit Ozat, defender Kerim Zengin, and midfielder Selcuk Sahin. Celta Vigo, however, has issues of their own. They are currently sitting halfway back in the Spanish La Liga. They have, however, recorded wins against some of the best, including Real Madrid this season. Zico knows that regardless of Celta's current standing in their league, they are a tremendously talented team. "Our opponents are really strong. You cannot underestimate a team that has beaten Real Madrid. Their current situation might not be what they want, but they have a lot of quality."

Both teams are jockeying for position into the next round, and Fener will face Eintracht Frankfurt in Kadikoy in two weeks. Still, a win today would greatly improve Fener's chances of moving on. Celta drew 1-1 vs. Eintracht earlier this month. Zico told his players earlier this week “We will only do what we are supposed to; beat Celta Vigo on Thursday and Galatasaray on Sunday. "

If Zico can keep his side focused and pull out wins against Trabzonspor, Celta Vigo, and Galatasaray all in one week, he will silence many of the critics of his managing style.