A clash of two sides at contrasting ends of the Turkish Super Lig table sees Gaziantep host Fenerbahce at the Gaziantep Stadium on Sunday evening.
Sitting two points clear at the top, the away side aim to maintain their lead, while the hosts desperately need points to avoid the drop zone.
Match preview
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Gaziantep have begun the year with back-to-back draws, settling for a goalless stalemate with Hatayspor last time out, five days after the frustrating 2-2 draw against Pendikspor where they surrendered a two-goal lead in the final 13 minutes.
Marius Sumudica's side have won just once in their last five Super Lig matches, a 3-0 victory over Fatih Karagumruk at the Ataturk Olympic Stadium, which saw them end a four-game winless run in the league.
However, the draw against Hatayspor and Pendikspor means that Gaziantep have now gone four consecutive league games without defeat for the first time since August 2022, when they kicked off the 2022-23 campaign with three wins and one draw in the opening four games.
The Gaziantep-based outfit have now picked up six wins, three draws and 10 defeats in their 19 Super Lig games to collect 21 points and sit 14th in the table, level on points with 13th-placed Ankaragucu.
However, a huge task awaits Sumudica's men on Sunday as they welcome a side that has beaten them eight times in 10 meetings, including their last four.
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Fenerbahce recorded their biggest win of the season on Wednesday, thrashing Konyaspor 7-1 at the Sukru Saracoglu Stadium, with Edin Dzeko bagging a first-half hat-trick.
Mert Muldur and Sebastian Szymanski also got on the scoresheet in the first half, before Michy Batshuayi and an own goal from Konyaspor's Ugurcan Yazgili completed the drubbing for the league leaders in the second half.
The 2023-24 Super Lig title race has been a two-horse affair between Fenerbahce and Galatasaray since the first half of the season, with both clubs pulling clear of the chasing pack. However, the Yellow Canaries now boast a two-point lead after Gala's draw with Sivasspor on Thursday.
Fener and Gala were poised to lock horns for the Turkish Super Cup just before the New Year, but the much-anticipated showdown was scuppered at the last minute due to what the clubs termed as "some problems" in the event's organisation.
Ismail Kartal's side are back on the road this weekend, where they have been formidable this season, taking 25 of a possible 27 points on offer, while staying unbeaten with eight wins and one draw in nine away matches.
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Team News
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Gaziantep will be unable to call on the midfield duo of Max Gradel and Janio Bikel, as they are currently away on international duty at the AFCON with Ivory Coast and Guinea-Bissau respectively.
Turkish defender Ulas Zengin has been out of action since last July through a severe injury and there are still doubts surrounding his fitness ahead of this clash.
Denis Dragus has seven goals and one assist in 15 league games and we expect the Standard Liege loanee to lead the attack for the home side once again.
For the visitors, Miguel Crespo (back), Luan Peres (knee) and Lincoln (ACL) are all out due to varying injuries, while Miha Zajc is a doubt owing to a muscle injury.
Alexander Djiku and Bright Osayi-Samuel were both called up to join Ghana and Nigeria, respectively, at the upcoming Africa Cup of Nations in the Ivory Coast.
Gaziantep possible starting lineup:
Nita; Eskihellac, Kizildag, N'Koulou, Cihan, M'Bakata; Markovic, Ozcicek, Jevtovic, Maxim; Dragus
Fenerbahce possible starting lineup:
Livakovic; Muldur, Aziz, Oosterwolde, Kadioglu; Fred, Yuksek; Tadic, Szymanski, Under; Dzeko
We say: Gaziantep 1-2 Fenerbahce
Fenerbahce are outright favourites for this one as they will have too much for Gaziantep to handle. The Yellow Canaries have scored 56 goals in the league so far, which is a testament to their firepower.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
