Galatasaray and Hatayspor will raise the curtain on their Turkish Super Lig campaigns on Friday, when they square off on the opening day at RAMS Park.
The hosts will begin their hunt for a third consecutive top-flight title this term, having most recently prevailed with a record tally of 102 points last season.
Match preview
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Galatasaray will begin their latest Turkish Super Lig title defence on Friday following a historic campaign last time around, in which they won a 24th league title in emphatic fashion.
Defending the crown that they regained in the 2022-23 term, the Sari-Kirmizililar amassed 102 points from their 38 outings, winning 33 of those alongside just two defeats to finish three points clear of Fenerbahce, who remained in hot pursuit.
Indeed, Okan Buruk's side bounced back from a defeat to the second-placed side in the penultimate round of fixtures to get over the line with a 3-1 victory away at Konyaspor thanks to Mauro Icardi's brace and a Berkan Kutlu goal.
Then, following a mixed run of results in pre-season friendlies in July, the Istanbul giants returned to competitive action in the Turkish Super Cup final against rivals Besiktas at the beginning of the month, but they were unable to start the campaign with silverware, instead succumbing to a concerning 5-0 beating as Ciro Immobile netted a brace for their opponents alongside goals from Jonas Svensson, Rafa Silva and Mustafa Hekimoglu.
Now aiming to put that disappointment behind them, Galatasaray will set out to kick off their latest title defence on the front foot on Friday with an opening-day victory in the capital.
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They meet a visiting side who will also aim to begin on a positive note in their latest Turkish Super Lig campaign, albeit in an unenviable trip in the opening round of top-flight fixtures.
After winning promotion to Turkey's top flight for the first time in their history in 2020, Hatayspor now head into their fourth consecutive Super Lig campaign with the hopes of a more secure finish, most recently ending the 2023-24 term in 15th spot.
Their survival was only thanks to a resurgence in the final weeks of the campaign, having sat on 33 points from 34 outings following four straight losses, only to pick up two victories and two draws from their last four fixtures, leaping out of the bottom four on the final day with a 2-0 home victory over Caykur Rizespor thanks to goals from Fisayo Dele-Bashiru and Carlos Strandberg.
With spirits bound to be lifted having bounced back from a dismal campaign to preserve their top-flight status in dramatic fashion, Hatayspor will now set out to kick on this term and build a stronger season, starting with what would be an eye-catching result on the road in their curtain-raiser.
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Team News
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Okan Buruk may opt to make several changes to the Galatasaray starting XI that was fielded in their 5-0 defeat to Besiktas in the Turkish Super Cup last week, with defender Victor Nelsson being an enforced absentee through suspension after being sent off in that game.
In his absence, Davinson Sanchez will come in to join Abdulkerim Bardakci in the middle of a back four, while Kerem Demirbay and summer signing Gabriel Sara will fight to start in the midfield after Lucas Torreira and Berkan Kutlu were preferred at the Ataturk Olympic Stadium.
Michy Batshuayi, who also arrived in the off-season after spells with Fenerbahce and Besiktas, will likely settle for a place on the bench, with Mauro Icardi set to lead the line having notched up 47 goals and 16 assists in 58 Turkish Super Lig appearances over the last two seasons, while Hakim Ziyech, Wilfried Zaha, Dries Mertens and Kerem Akturkoglu will compete to start in a supporting trio.
Hatayspor head into the new season having undergone some squad changes, with midfielders Rayane Aabid, Giorgi Aburjania and Mehdi Boudjemaa having departed alongside Fisayo Dele-Bashiru, who joined Lazio on loan after starring last season with nine goals and six assists in 39 appearances.
They have taken steps to strengthen the ranks, though, with new arrival Lamine Diack challenging to start in midfield and Jonathan Okoronkwo and Funsho Bamgboye in contention to earn debuts in the attack.
Carlos Strandberg will continue to lead the line after topping their scoring charts with 13 goals last term, while Massanga Matondo and Guy-Marcelin Kilama should remain key men in the middle and at the back respectively heading into the new campaign.
Galatasaray possible starting lineup:
Muslera; Ayhan, Sanchez, Bardakci, Kohn; Torreira, Demirbay; Ziyech, Mertens, Akturkoglu; Icardi
Hatayspor possible starting lineup:
Kardesler; Corekci, Yilmaz, Kilama, Sertel; Massanga, Diack, Saglam; Bamgboye, Strandberg, Okoronkwo
We say: Galatasaray 2-0 Hatayspor
While Galatasaray will be wounded by their heavy Super Cup defeat last week, they should have more than enough quality to bounce back and start their Super Lig defence with a comfortable home win on Friday.
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Sam Varley
