One of the standout fixtures in Turkish football will take place in Istanbul on Sunday evening, as Besiktas welcome Galatasaray to Vodafone Park.
The hosts have only lost once in the league in 2023, while the visitors are currently six points clear at the summit of the Turkish Lig table.
Match preview
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Besiktas are currently on course to finish in the top three and qualify for the Europa League, with the Black Eagles boasting a five-point cushion over fourth-placed Adana Demirspor.
After their five-game winning run was halted against reigning champions Trabzonspor, Senol Gunes' side got back to winning ways with a 2-0 victory last weekend against Umraniyespor, courtesy of strikes from Nathan Redmond and Vincent Aboubakar.
Mert Gunok capped off another strong defensive display for the Black Eagles by ensuring his side kept a clean sheet. In fact, Besiktas have only conceded 28 goals in 30 matches, which is the second-best defensive record in the league.
Gunes's side lost the reverse fixture back in November against Galatasaray, but they may be confident about securing a positive result on Sunday, as they ran out 2-1 winners on home soil last season against Cimbom.
In addition, Besiktas have only tasted defeat once at Vodafone Park this season – a 1-0 loss to Basaksehir on September 12 – making it the third-best home record in the division, picking up 33 points from 14 matches.
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As for the Galatasaray, they are currently sat at the summit of the Turkish Super Lig and are bidding to lift the title for the first time since 2019 despite surviving a scare in a six-goal thriller against Fatih Kagumruk last weekend.
A brace from Fabio Borini almost saw the visitors snatch all three points, but Galatasaray's resilience ensured they maintained their position at the top of the table.
No team has won Turkey's primary division as many times as Galatasaray's impressive tally of 22, with their fiercest rivals Fenerbahce three behind them in that regard.
Okan Buruk's side currently have a six-point gap over second-placed Fenerbahce with seven games to go, and with this weekend's opponents eight points behind the league leaders having played a game more, it looks to be a straight shootout between Galatasaray and the Yellow Canaries for the title this season.
However, a spanner could be thrown into the works should Besiktas secure a victory on Sunday, especially since Galatasaray and Fenerbahce are still set to meet once more in an unscheduled match between now and the end of the campaign.
Team News
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Tayyib Talha Sanuc will be sidelined for this match, as he is expected to miss the rest of the campaign with a knee injury, while out-of-favour loanee Dele Alli has returned to Everton after undergoing hip surgery last week.
Gedson Fernandes will retain his place in the engine room after the Portuguese midfielder returned to the starting lineup against Umraniyespor after not being included in the matchday squad against Hatayspor.
As for the visitors, Baris Yilmaz will return to the matchday squad after serving a one-game suspension for an accumulation of yellow cards against Fatih Kagumruk.
Mauro Icardi will be eager to add to his 13 strikes in the Turkish Super Lig, after coming off the bench last time out, while Victor Nelsson and Abdulkerim Bardakci are expected to make up the central defensive pairing.
Besiktas possible starting lineup:
Gunok; Rosier, Saiss, Colley, Masuaku; Fernandes, Ucan; Ghezzal, Redmond, Tosun; Aboubakar
Galatasaray possible starting lineup:
Muslera; Boey, Nelsson, Bardakci, Adekugbe; Oliveira, Torreira; Rashica, Mertens, Akturkoglu; Icardi
We say: Besiktas 1-1 Galatasaray
Despite having the best away record in the division, Galatasaray may have their work cut out for them here against a defensively-strong Besiktas side that have only conceded one goal in their last five games.
Galatasaray certainly have the firepower to win this match, but we think the Black Eagles will be resilient enough to earn themselves a point.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
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