Besiktas will be looking to get back to winning ways as they take on Istanbul Basaksehir at the Tupras Stadyumu on Sunday afternoon.
The Black Eagles have dropped out of the top four of the Turkish Super Lig after two defeats in their last three games and are currently fifth in the table with 19 points.
Match preview
© Reuters
Things have been far from good for Besiktas under Burak Yilmaz so far, with the interim boss suffering four defeats from his last five outings in all competitions, including a 2-1 home loss to Bodo/Glimt in the UEFA Europa Conference League on Thursday.
The poor form in Europe in recent weeks has also seeped into their domestic matters, as they suffered a 2-1 defeat to Galatasaray and a 3-2 away loss to Antalyaspor in the league within the past month.
Yilmaz had initially made a promising start with victory over Istanbulspor in his first game, but he has since picked up just one more win in all competitions while suffering four defeats, including losing both of his last two.
Not since November 2021 have Besiktas suffered three successive defeats, although on a more positive note they are still unbeaten at home this season and have won four out of five possible games.
They are one of only four teams in the Super Lig to have a perfect home record, which is mainly down to their strong defence – Besiktas have only conceded two goals in front of their own fans this season.
© Reuters
Istanbul Basaksehir, on the other hand, have won just once in their last five Super Lig games, when they beat Gaziantep 2-0 over a month ago.
That poor run of form has left Cagdas Atan's men 18th in the table and already fighting for survival.
The team have picked up six points from the last 15 on offer, although that is still a marked improvement on their first six games of the campaign, which yielded just one win and five defeats.
Although they are currently in the relegation zone, their away record is not as bad as one might initially think, with one win and two draws in six games this Super Lig season.
However, Istanbul Basaksehir's attacking performance is a concern, as they have only managed to score two goals in six away games.
Team News
© Reuters
The hosts go into this match with a less than ideal team selection, as six players from the first team are injured.
Important players such as Arthur Masuaku, Vincent Aboubakar and Omar Colley would certainly make it easier for Yilmaz when putting together his starting XI, but Cenk Tosun and Daniel Amartey will also have the chance to prove themselves on Sunday.
After the 2-1 defeat against Bodo/Glimt on Thursday, Besiktas have another injury problem - central defender Eric Bailly had to leave the pitch injured after just half an hour and is doubtful for Sunday.
The visitors are also not exactly lucky with injuries themselves and currently have five absentees in their squad.
Omer Sahiner, Edgar le, Muhammed Sengezer and Efe Koyuncu are not available and do not yet have a fixed date for their return.
Volkan Babacan is expected to start in goal for the injured Sengezer, while Krzysztof Piatek, who scored twice in the last match against Ankaragucu, will lead the line for the visitors.
Besiktas possible starting lineup:
Destanoglu; Bulut, Amartey, Uysal, Zaynutdinov; Ucan, Bingol, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Rashica, Fernandes; Tosun
Istanbul Basaksehir possible starting lineup:
Babacan; Dubois, Duarte, Opoku, Lima; Ozcan, Tekdemir, Turuc, Aleksic, Gurler; Piatek
We say: Besiktas 2-1 Istanbul Basaksehir
Besiktas' spirits are low after their defeat in the UEFA Europa Conference League during the week, and if injury worries are added to the mix, even relegation candidates Istanbul Basaksehir could be a difficult opponent to overcome.
The visitors should not be afraid of this game and could even prepare a more aggressive approach to try to take advantage of Besiktas' mental low point at this stage.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
