Two sides looking to extend their Turkish Super Lig unbeaten streaks face off on Saturday as Besiktas welcome Trabzonspor to Tupras Stadium.
The hosts are unbeaten in their last six league matches, while the visitors have won three and drawn one of their previous four Super Lig outings.
Match preview
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Ole Gunnar Solskjaer secured his first league win as Besiktas manager last weekend, guiding the Black Eagles to a 2-0 victory over Sivasspor, courtesy of goals from Emir Han Topcu and Joao Mario.
The Norwegian remains undefeated in his first two league games in charge [1W, 1D], and his side will need to maintain this resilience as they look to bridge the four-point gap to fourth-placed Eyupspor.
With 35 points from 21 matches, Besiktas hold a slight advantage, having played one game fewer than some of their European-chasing rivals – however, they must capitalize on such opportunities, particularly against direct competitors like Trabzonspor.
The Black Eagles have dominated this fixture in recent meetings, securing two wins and a draw in their last three encounters across all competitions, with their most recent league meeting ending 1-1 in September.
Besiktas can also take confidence from their impressive home form, having gone unbeaten in their last six matches at Tupras Stadium across all competitions, four of which were Super Lig matches [2W, 2D].
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However, Trabzonspor arrive in Istanbul in solid form, having avoided defeat in their last six matches across all competitions.
The Black Sea Storm edged Eyupspor 1-0 last time out, a result that lifted them to ninth place with 29 points, six behind Besiktas after playing the same number of games.
Despite their recent consistency, Trabzonspor's issue has been their dreadful away form – they have collected just five points from a possible 30 on the road, making them joint-second worst in the league for away performances.
Senol Gunes's side is also one of only two teams, alongside Hatayspor, yet to record an away victory this season, and additionally, they have struggled in front of goal, scoring just eight times on their travels—the joint-second lowest tally alongside Alanyaspor.
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Team News
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Besiktas remain without long-term absentees Necip Uysal and Gabriel Paulista, both sidelined until March 2025.
Gedson Fernandes, Emrecan Terzi and Bakhtiyor Zaynutdinov are also ruled out due to injuries.
However, key playmaker Rafa Silva has served his suspension and is set to return to the starting XI.
For Trabzonspor, Denis Dragus, Arif Bosluk and Onuralp Cevikkan are all unavailable due to injury.
Meanwhile, Batista Mendy and Eren Elmali have completed their suspensions and will be available for selection.
Besiktas possible starting lineup:
Gunok; Masuaku, Uduokhai, Topcu, Svensson; Chamberlain, Hadziahmetovic; Arroyo, Rafa, Rashica; Kilicsoy
Trabzonspor possible starting lineup:
Cakir; Malheiro, Savic, Batagov, Elmali; Zubkov, Mendy, Lundstram; Visca, Banza, Nwakaeme
We say: Besiktas 2-1 Trabzonspor
Besiktas will look to exploit Trabzonspor's struggles against counter-attacks, with Solskjaer's transition-heavy approach expected to create plenty of chances.
The visitors should get on the scoresheet, but their defensive frailties could prove costly, with the hosts' superior attacking threat helping them edge it.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
