One of the biggest matches in the Turkish football calendar takes place on Saturday as Galatasaray welcome Istanbul rivals Besiktas to Rams Park.
The hosts would move top of the table for 24 hours at least with a victory, while fourth-placed Besiktas will be looking to make it two wins out of two under new interim boss Burak Yilmaz.
Match preview
© Reuters
Things could not be going much better for Galatasaray heading into this weekend's derby, with Okan Buruk's side still unbeaten and having the chance to leapfrog their other bitter rivals Fenerbahce into top spot in the Super Lig with a win.
The fact that Gala have so far had to play second fiddle to Fenerbahce is a mark of their rivals' own flawless form - they have made a perfect start with eight wins from eight in the league - but Galatasaray are not far behind with seven wins from their eight Super Lig outings.
An opening-day goalless draw away to Kayserispor remains the only blot on Galatasaray's copybook so far this season, with Buruk's men having won seven league games on the bounce since then, as well as experiencing some memorable moments in the Champions League.
By far the standout one was their famous 3-2 win at Old Trafford at the start of the month, and if they can add to their sensational run of form with derby glory this weekend then they will go into next week's home game against Bayern Munich full of confidence that they can pull off another monumental continental shock.
Gala crucially backed that Old Trafford triumph up with a 2-0 win at Antalyaspor before the international break, courtesy of goals from Davinson Sanchez and Mauro Icardi, extending their unbeaten record to 22 matches stretching back to April.
Indeed, the last team to beat Galatasaray in any competition was Besiktas, but that came at Vodafone Park; not since August 2022 have they lost at home in the league, while they have won each of their last six in front of their own fans.
It therefore promises to be a mammoth early test of Burak Yilmaz's managerial credentials, with the recently-retired interim boss facing something of a baptism of fire in just his second match as a manager.
© Reuters
Besiktas sacked Senol Gunes and saw the board resign earlier this month after throwing away a two-goal lead to lose 3-2 in the final nine minutes of a home Europa Conference League match against Swiss side Lugano, with Yilmaz brought in as Gunes's caretaker replacement.
The 77-time Turkey international can boast a 100% record in the dugout so far, having overseen a 2-0 win against Istanbulspor in the last match before the international break - Vincent Aboubakar getting his new manager's reign off to a perfect start with a sixth-minute opener before Rachid Ghezzal secured the points from the spot in the final minute of normal time.
However, a home game against a team with only two points to their name all season was about as easy a first match as he could have hoped for, whereas a trip to defending champions Galatasaray is about as difficult as it gets for his second match at the helm.
Yilmaz will be no stranger to the atmosphere of such big games - he is one of only nine players to have played for all of Turkey's 'big three' clubs, and the majority of that time was spent at Galatasaray, with whom he won two Super Lig titles and three consecutive Turkish Cups.
However, the 38-year-old has inherited a Besiktas team that currently looks to be a bit behind their two great rivals, and that shows in the league table with an eight-point gap to leaders Fenerbahce and a six-point gap to Galatasaray after only eight games of the season.
The Black Eagles are currently fourth, but they are closer in terms of points to 14th place than they are first place, and the win over Istanbulspor was the first time all season that they have picked up back-to-back league victories.
Away from home, Besiktas have only won one of their last four outings in all competitions, including successive league defeats at Trabzonspor and Adana Demirspor before winning at Konyaspor earlier this month.
Team News
© Reuters
Galatasaray have been boosted by the news that Hakim Ziyech is back in training after injury, leaving Buruk with a fully-fit squad to choose from for this match.
The Chelsea loanee could start alongside the likes of Wilfried Zaha and Tanguy Ndombele, while Icardi will lead the line as he looks to extend his prolific start to the season.
The Argentine has been on fire since making his move from Paris Saint-Germain permanent during the summer, scoring 12 goals and assisting two more in 14 games across all competitions, including a division-high tally of eight goals and one assist in eight Super Lig matches.
Besiktas will not have Eric Bailly in their attempt to stop Icardi, with the former Manchester United centre-back still sidelined through injury, while Umut Meras has this week joined him on the treatment table.
Salih Ucan, Tayyip Sanuc and Emrecan Uzunhan are also injury absentees for the derby, but there is better news regarding Mert Gunok, who is now back in training and could be in line to start in goal this weekend.
Gedson Fernandes will undergo a late fitness test to determine his availability, while the likes of Aboubakar, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Cenk Tosun could all start in attack.
Galatasaray possible starting lineup:
Muslera; Boey, Bardakci, Sanchez, Karatas; Torreira, Ndombele; Zaha, Ziyech, Akturkoglu; Icardi
Besiktas possible starting lineup:
Gunok; Bulut, Amartey, Colley, Masuaku; Fernandes, Hadziahmetovic; Rashica, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Tosun; Aboubakar
We say: Galatasaray 3-1 Besiktas
There may only be two places separating these two sides in the Super Lig table, but the feeling around the clubs is very different. Gala are in flying form, whereas Besiktas are going through a tumultuous period on and off the pitch.
The visitors should be boosted by their fans being allowed to attend after a ban on away supporters in Istanbul derbies was lifted ahead of this game, but the prospect of those supporters celebrating victory appears to be bleak.
Besiktas have the firepower to be dangerous, but they have also conceded nine goals in eight games so far this season and, against a Galatasaray side on such a good run, that could be the difference.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
