İsmail Kartal makes radical squad decision ahead of Roma clash

Fenerbahçe suffered a 2-1 home defeat to Beşiktaş in the fourth round of the Süper Lig. The result marked the yellow-and-navy side's second loss in the opening four weeks, leaving them on 6 points. Having won their previous two home meetings with Beşiktaş, Fenerbahçe were unable to repeat that success this time.

The 2-1 derby defeat carries particular significance for İsmail Kartal. The young coach's nine-match unbeaten run in derbies came to an end with this result. Fenerbahçe, who had beaten Beşiktaş 3-2 and 1-0 last season, fell to their rivals at home this time around.

Attention quickly turned to the Champions League following the derby loss. Fenerbahçe will face Roma in their opening match of the competition, marking their return to the tournament after 18 years. According to reports, İsmail Kartal has made some tough calls ahead of this crucial fixture.

A report in the newspaper Sabah claims that Kartal, dissatisfied with the performances of Semedo, İrfan Can Kahveci, Oğuz Aydın and Muriqi, plans to bench all four for the Roma game. According to the same report, Kartal is considering Mert Müldür in place of Semedo at right-back and İsmail Yüksek instead of İrfan Can Kahveci in midfield.

On the left wing, Kerem Aktürkoğlu or Nene could reportedly replace Oğuz Aydın. Up front, Kartal is said to be preparing to give Lukaku a chance in place of Kosovan striker Muriqi. Fenerbahçe supporters are eagerly awaiting the outcome of these changes, both for the team's domestic recovery and their first major test in Europe.