Beşiktaş welcome Kauno Zalgiris to Tüpraş Stadyumu on Thursday for the first leg of their UEFA Europa League playoff, with a place in the competition's league phase at stake.

The Turkish side enter the tie as clear favorites and will look to build a decisive advantage before the return match in Kaunas on Aug. 27. The clubs are meeting for the first time in European competition, with Beşiktaş bringing greater experience, squad depth and attacking quality into the matchup.

Beşiktaş reached the playoff round after edging Hradec Kralove 1-0 in the second leg, with Vaclav Cerny's goal securing a 2-0 aggregate victory. The result also extended their impressive defensive run in Europe, with the Black Eagles recording four straight clean sheets in qualifying.

Vincenzo Italiano's team have also made a solid start to the Turkish Super Lig season. Beşiktaş opened their domestic campaign with a 1-0 victory over Eyüpspor after finishing third last season.

Italiano has quickly placed an emphasis on defensive organization, while the club have backed him with an ambitious summer recruitment campaign. Alexander Nubel, Kassoum Ouattara, Leandro Trossard and Serbian striker Dusan Vlahovic are among the notable additions as Beşiktaş look to close the gap on the leading clubs in Türkiye.

With home advantage and a significant edge in individual quality, Beşiktaş will expect to control the first leg and put themselves in a strong position before traveling to Lithuania.

Kauno Zalgiris arrive in Istanbul with a very different European experience behind them.

The Lithuanian champions were knocked out of Champions League qualifying by Dinamo Zagreb after a 7-1 aggregate defeat. They suffered a 5-0 loss in Croatia before falling 2-1 at home in the return leg.

Zeljko Sopic's team did show resilience between those matches, beating Hegelmann 2-0, and they followed that result with a 1-1 draw against Transinvest in their latest outing. Those results have kept Kauno Zalgiris firmly in the A Lyga title race, with the club sitting second, just one point behind the leaders.

Their European campaign began with victories over Drita and KI Klaksvik in Champions League qualifying, but the two matches against Dinamo exposed the difference between Kauno Zalgiris and higher-level opposition.

Sopic will therefore demand a far more disciplined performance in Istanbul. His players will need to limit mistakes, remain compact and frustrate Beşiktaş if they are to avoid another difficult night in Europe.

Beşiktaş have no fresh injury concerns following their win over Eyüpspor, giving Italiano the flexibility to rotate his lineup while introducing some of his summer signings to competitive action.

Ouattara is available again after completing his suspension following his red card in the first leg against Hradec Kralove.

Emmanuel Agbadou and Tiago Djalo are expected to continue at the heart of the defense, while Salih Özcan appears to have moved ahead of Wilfred Ndidi in the defensive midfield battle.

That combination should allow Italiano to preserve the compact structure that has been central to Beşiktaş's strong start in European qualifying. Four consecutive clean sheets have provided a solid foundation, but the Turkish side will now be looking to add more attacking authority to their defensive stability.

Kauno Zalgiris have no major fitness problems either, although Sopic could alter his defensive setup after the struggles against Dinamo Zagreb.

Amine Benchaib has been one of the Lithuanian side's most influential players this season and is expected to retain his place on the wing, while Renan Oliveira should lead the attack.