Kezman Confident Despite Struggles

Kezman Confident Despite Struggles
By Nathan L. Redd

Mateja Kezman has faced more adversity than any other footballer in Turkiye this season. The Serbian-born striker knows he hasn't lived up to expectations during his tenure at Fenerbahce, but he knows all that can change with a successful performance in UEFA Champions League.

Kezman spoke to the media and stated that he was confident of Fener's chances heading into the CSKA Moscow game. "I think the first victory is very important," Kezman told uefa.com. "If you look at statistics the teams that win the first game, 70 per cent qualify for the next round. So it is a really big step but we now have two away games, so we have to try to be unbeaten there and maybe win one. And then to win both games at home with these fantastic supporters, who are like nowhere else in Europe. We have to think positively now, we have a big chance."

Kezman believes playing in Moscow in early October is a big advantage in group play. "We are lucky we are playing in October - it will not be so cold, that is an advantage. And CSKA are not the team they were last year, they have not played so well, they have lost already."

Kezman knows that Fenerbahce fans will forget his struggles with a successful European run. There is no stage bigger in club competition than the UEFA Champions League, and Kezman hopes to hear the Fenerli's chanting his name upon his arrival back in Turkiye on Wednesday.