City rivals Besiktas and Istanbul Basaksehir go head-to-head at the Vodafone Park on Monday in matchday six of the 2022-23 Turkish Super Lig campaign.
With the two teams currently on a superb run of results coming into this one, the clash has all the makings of a truly enthralling affair.
Match preview
Besiktas made it three victories on the spin as they defeated Ankaragucu in a thrilling 3-2 contest at the Eryaman Stadium on Sunday night.
A double from Giorgi Beridze either side of strikes from Jackson Muleka and Dele Alli saw the game level heading into the final 15 minutes, where Georges-Kevin N'Koudou netted a penalty to get the job done for Valerien Ismael's men.
Having picked up 13 points from a possible 15 so far, the Black Eagles are second in the league table, a point behind Konyaspor with a game in hand.
Next up is the challenge of an opposing outfit who have only emerged triumphant in one of the last six encounters between the teams dating back to November 2020.
Off the back of three straight wins on home turf by a combined score of 8-2, Monday's hosts will be seeking to keep the juggernaut rolling on in front of their fans.
Istanbul Basaksehir opened their Europa Conference League group-stage campaign with an emphatic 4-0 victory over Hearts at the Tynecastle Park On Thursday.
Emre Belozoglu's men opened the scoring in the 26th minute through Hasan Ali Kaldirim before second-half goals from Youssouf Ndayishimiye, Stefano Okaka and Berkay Ozcan put the result beyond doubt.
Prior to that, the Grey Owls eased past the threat of Alanyaspor with a 2-0 victory, which moved them up to fourth place in the Super Lig standings.
Unbeaten in their most recent nine games on the road since April, Monday's visitors have proven themselves to be a tough nut to crack away from home.
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Team News
Besiktas' Mert Gunok is yet to feature since the turn of the year due to a long-term knee injury, and the goalkeeper remains unfit to participate.
Thirty-nine-year-old Atiba Hutchinson is yet to fully recuperate from a muscle injury which has seen him miss each of the last 10 matches.
With four goals in his last three appearances for the home side, Jackson Muleka is definitely one worth keeping an eye on here as he aims to deliver the goods once again.
Youssouf Ndayishimiye came off the bench to find the back of the net for Istanbul Basaksehir last time out and could be rewarded with a place in the starting XI.
Besiktas possible starting lineup:
Bilgin; Masuaku, Saiss, Uysal, Rosier; Fernandes, Ucan; N'Koudou, Alli, Muleka; Weghorst
Istanbul Basaksehir possible starting lineup:
Babacan; Caicara, Duarte, Ndayishimiye, Lima; Tekdemir, Biglia, Ozcan; Gurler, Okaka, Chouiar
We say: Besiktas 2-1 Istanbul Basaksehir
Basaksehir boast the best defensive record in the division, while Besiktas have scored more goals than all but one of the other 18 teams. We are anticipating a keenly-contested affair with the home side just about edging out their visitors to claim the points.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Top tip
Adepoju Marvellous
