FC Midtjylland begins the hunt for Europa League on Thursday evening, when Besiktas awaits in the second qualifying round. The first match will be played in Istanbul, where the Danish wolves can expect a tough match. Besiktas has several well-known names in the squad, and among them is Danish-Bosnian Amir Hadziahmetovic, born and raised on Bornholm.

Hadziahmetovic has this summer been to the World Cup with Bosnia, where he made an appearance against Switzerland. In an interview with Bold, he now comments on the upcoming qualifying matches against FC Midtjylland.

  • I was glad to hear that FC Midtjylland was drawn as the opponent. I have always been happy to visit Denmark, so I'm looking forward to it. The article continues after the picture
  • But it's also a tough opponent in the second qualifying round, so it's both good and bad. Hadziahmetovic tries to follow Danish football as much as possible, but it can be difficult with the number of matches in modern football.

FC Midtjylland has, however, taken big steps in recent years, according to the assessment. - FC Midtjylland has become a top club in Denmark and has in recent years made a mark in Europe with Champions League group stage and a really good campaign last season in Europe, so I have noticed them.

According to the Besiktas player, the Turks are small favorites to advance. - I think it will be very even in both matches. But over two matches, a Turkish top club should be favorites against a Danish top club, with all respect for the Danish teams.

Hadziahmetovic has family in Denmark and sees Denmark as his second home country. Therefore, it will also be extra special to return 'home'. - I was born and raised in Nexø on Bornholm, I have a Danish side, and Denmark is the country I have lived in for the longest time, so it's very special.

  • FC Midtjylland was not so big when I lived in Denmark, but I can see that they are among the strongest - if not the strongest - in Denmark right now. Midtbanespilleren has previously been back on Danish soil with the Bosnian national team. It will be a bit different this time, when it will be in club football.
  • With the national team, there was a lot of focus on me due to my upbringing on Bornholm, and it was one of the themes leading up to the match. - It will also be different in the sense that I have a greater connection to Denmark than to FCM, so it will be a bit more like a regular qualifying match to Europe.

According to Hadziahmetovic, there is respect for Danish football in Turkey. The recent matches between Danish and Turkish teams have been quite even. - The Danish teams tend to do well against the Turkish teams in Europe, so it gives some respect. And so is Denmark good at developing talents, which has led several Danish players to the Turkish league.

  • I would say that there is generally a great respect for the way things are worked on in Denmark, concludes Amir Hadziahmetovic to Bold. 29-year-old Amir Hadziahmetovic was loaned to Hull City last season, where he helped the club to promotion to the Premier League. He has played 57 first-team matches for Besiktas.

The first match between Besiktas and FC Midtjylland will be played on Thursday at 20:00. There will be a return match on MCH Arena on July 30. FC Midtjylland is currently in second place in the Superliga with 60 points after 32 matches, where they have scored 72 goals and conceded 36. They are 7 points behind Aarhus, who are at the top of the table.

In the next match, FC Midtjylland will face Sonderjyske on the road on July 26. They also have several players who are injured, including Júnior Brumado, Mads Bech Sørensen, Mikel Gogorza, and Ousmane Diao.