Andrea Pirlo's Fatih Karagumruk will aim to extend their unbeaten streak in the Super Lig to nine matches when they face relegation-threatened Giresunspor at the Cotanak Sports Complex on Friday.
By contrast, Giresunspor will be desperate to end an eight-game winless run, which has seen them slump to 17th place in the table – one point inside the drop zone and seven points behind eighth-placed Karagumruk.
Match preview
Giresunspor head into Friday's clash on the back of a goalless draw with Konyaspor, although Hakan Keles's men can count themselves fortunate to have come away with a point as they were second best throughout the contest.
Konyaspor racked up 18 shots on home soil, while Giresunspor managed a solitary attempt on target, and the visitors finished the game with only 34% possession to their name.
Having failed to win any of their last eight league matches – recording three draws and five losses along the way – Giresunspor find themselves just four points clear of bottom club Umraniyespor and one point inside the relegation zone.
When Keles's men took 10 points from a possible 12 before the turn of the year, they put themselves in a strong position to beat the drop, but they have failed to build on that run.
Indeed, Giresunspor have taken a measly three points from a possible 24 in 2023, and they remain the second-lowest scorers in the Super Lig with 21 goals, having netted five goals across eight outings since the turn of the year.
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Fatih Karagumruk, on the other hand, are the third-highest scorers in the division, with only the top two sides – Galatasaray and Fenerbahce – netting more goals than Karagumruk's 47 this season.
The Istanbul outfit kicked off their hot streak with a 4-1 thrashing of Trabzonspor before defeating Kayserispor 4-2, and they extended their winning run to eight games with a 4-3 victory over Sivasspor last time out.
Mbaye Diagne bagged a hat-trick in last weekend's rout, taking his tally for the season to 14 goals in 21 league outings, while Fabio Borini has netted 13 goals in the same number of appearances, meaning that only Fenerbahce's Enner Valencia sits above the Karagumruk pair in the Super Lig scoring charts.
It is worth noting, however, that Andrea Pirlo's side hold the second-worst defensive record in the Super Lig, having conceded 43 goals in 22 matches this term, and they remain just seven points clear of the relegation zone as a result.
There is no hiding the fact that Karagumruk have taken 16 points from a possible 24 since their last defeat, but they have only managed to keep one clean sheet across their previous 13 league outings.
Team News
Giresunspor defender Alper Uludag is suspended after picking up a yellow card last time out, so Faruk Can Genc is expected to deputise at left-back on Friday.
On a brighter note, Kadir Seven returned from injury in last weekend's goalless draw with Konyaspor, meaning that he could feature from the bench against Fatih Karagumruk.
Having netted five goals across his previous 10 league appearances, top scorer Riad Bajic will continue to lead the line for the hosts, with Borja Sainz and Serginho operating on the flanks.
For the visitors, Efe Tatli is expected to miss the remainder of the season due to an ACL tear, while Emir Tintis and Efecan Mizrakci are also likely to miss Friday's clash through injury.
Ibrahim Dresevic and Magomed Ozdoyev have featured in all but one of Karagumruk's 22 league matches this term, with the latter contributing four goals and three assists from midfield.
Having combined for 27 goals and 14 assists in the Super Lig this season, Mbaye Diagne and Fabio Borini will be confident of piling more pressure on struggling Giresunspor.
Giresunspor possible starting lineup:
Kaplan; Saglam, Arias, Perez, Genc; Campuzano, Mejia; Serginho, Savicevic, Sainz; Bajic
Fatih Karagumruk possible starting lineup:
Sen; Biraschi, Baniya, Dresevic, Mercan; Bertolacci, Ricci, Ozdoyev; Colley, Diagne, Borini
We say: Giresunspor 1-3 Fatih Karagumruk
Given that Fatih Karagumruk have scored at least two goals in 12 of their previous 15 league games – netting more than two goals on eight occasions during that period – the visitors look set to record another high-scoring victory.
While Karagumruk have avoided defeat in each of their last eight Super Lig outings, Giresunspor have failed to win any of their previous eight, so the hosts are not expected to spark a revival on Friday.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Top tip
Ben Morris
