League leaders Fenerbahce will be looking for a fifth successive victory when they host Sivasspor in the Turkish Super Lig on Monday.
The visitors, meanwhile, need to pull off a shock victory if they are to move outside of the relegation places this weekend.
Match preview
© Reuters
Having failed to win the domestic title since the 2013-14 season, Fenerbahce appear to be in decent shape as they look to end their barren run - by their own high standards at least - in Turkish football.
Eight wins and two draws from their opening 11 games have moved them three points clear of second-placed Istanbul Basaksehir at the summit of the table prior to both teams playing on Monday, with head coach Jorge Jesus making a strong impression since joining the club in June.
The 68-year-old, who has guided Benfica to three Portuguese Primeira Liga titles during his managerial career, came under significant pressure early on after losing 2-1 on aggregate to Dynamo Kiev in the second qualifying round of the Champions League, but he gained his revenge on the Ukrainians by beating them 2-0 on Thursday to secure top spot in Group B of the Europa League.
As such, the Yellow Canaries will bypass the playoff round of the competition altogether and free up two spots for themselves in the New Year, helping them continue their assault on the Turkish title.
Anything shy of collecting a fifth consecutive win against struggling Sivasspor would represent a major blow on Monday, although they are almost guaranteed to remain top regardless of the outcome due to their significantly superior goal difference.
© Reuters
Sivasspor, meanwhile, appear to be in danger of being relegated to Turkey's second tier for the first time since 2016 after a difficult start to the campaign.
After guiding the Braves to fourth-placed and fifth-placed finishes in his first two seasons after joining in the summer of 2019, Riza Calimbay has earned the good faith which has been shown to him by being kept in the job, but the 59-year-old must improve results quickly if that is to last much longer.
However, their 1-1 draw away to Slavia Prague on Thursday did at least secure top spot for themselves in Group G of the Europa Conference League, while there is plenty of time for them to recover their league position.
Given the form of their forthcoming opponents, though, that may have to wait beyond their trip to Istanbul on Monday, although Sivasspor have not been defeated by Fenerbahce in any of their last six meetings.
Team News
© Reuters
Fenerbahce are likely to be without Irfan Can Egribayat, Diego Rossi, Gustavo Henrique, Mert Hakan Yandas, Luan Peres and Nazim Sangare due to injury on Monday.
Jesus made five changes for the trip to Krakow against Dynamo Kiev on Thursday, with the likes of Irfan Kahveci, Joao Pedro and Ezgjan Alioski likely to return to the starting XI.
Sivasspor, meanwhile, made six changes for their trip to Prague, with former Tottenham Hotspur winger Clinton N'Jie absent through a muscle strain and unlikely to be selected with the start of the World Cup imminent.
Leke James and Ugur Ciftci are expected to join the Cameroon international on the sidelines due to ankle and muscle issues respectively.
Fenerbahce possible starting lineup:
Bayindir; Kadioglu, Aziz, Szalai, Alioski; Kahveci, Arao, Zajc, Mor; Batshuayi, Pedro
Sivasspor possible starting lineup:
Vural; Yesilyurt, Goutas, Osmanpasa, Paluli; Arslan, Keita; N'Jie, Saba, Gradel; Yatabare
We say: Fenerbahce 2-0 Sivasspor
We expect Fenerbahce to rack up a fifth straight win when they take on Sivasspor on Monday.
Both sides played away from home in Europe on Thursday, so the visitors will not even have the advantage of being fresher, with their domestic woes likely to continue for the time being.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Brett Curtis
