Istanbulspor are desperate for their first win of this Super Lig season as they host Ankaragucu at Necmi Kadioglu Stadyumu on Sunday under the guidance of newly-appointed head coach Hakan Yakin.
While the home side are still waiting for their first win of the season, the visitors will be looking for their second consecutive victory after beating Kayserispor 3-0 before the international break.
Match preview
© Reuters
Istanbulspor's start to the new Super Lig season has been a complete disaster so far. After eight games, the team are in the bottom two of the relegation zone with just two points and are one of only three teams yet to record a win.
The team have suffered a dreadful run of five straight defeats in the past month, in which they have only managed to score a single goal, forcing Olcay Demir to resign as head coach and Yakin to succeed him.
There is no other way out for Yakin but to look ahead, and his new team already seem in need of major surgery if they are to keep their hopes of avoiding relegation from the Super Lig alive.
Three home defeats in a row do not necessarily bode well for Sunday's game, but the support of the home crowd and Yakin's new tactical and emotional impetus could provide the spark the team need to finally bounce back.
Even though Ankaragucu's start to the season was not very impressive either, they can undoubtedly look more positively towards the next phase of the season after the appointment of a new head coach Emre Belozoglu.
The 43-year-old got off to a perfect start a few days after his appointment with a comprehensive 3-0 home win against Kayserispor.
That win was just their second of the season, having begun the campaign with a four-match winless streak and then suffered a 2-1 defeat away at Galatasaray and a 1-1 draw at home to Konyaspor after their first three-point haul of the campaign.
The team went into the international break in good spirits and will be looking to continue that when Super Lig battles resume, and Istanbulspor could be the perfect opponent to keep the momentum going.
Team News
Fortunately, Istanbulspor do not have any major injury worries to make their lives even harder after the international break, with defender Simon Deli the only absentee from the squad.
With Istanbulspor scoring a total of three goals so far, Ibrahim Yilmaz is the biggest threat in the opposition penalty area, having scored twice already this Super Lig season.
The visitors are not as unlucky with injuries as their Sunday opponents, with Stelios Kitsiou and Ali Sowe having to miss the weekend's game due to serious injuries; they are not expected to return until December.
Ankaragucu's biggest threat comes from Renaldo Cephas and Efkan Bekiroglu, who have scored three goals apiece in eight games and will undoubtedly test Istanbulspor's defence on Sunday.
Istanbulspor possible starting lineup:
Jensen; Duhaney, Erdogan, Yesil, Yasar; Mamadou, Sankaya, Loshaj, Ndao; Gultekin, Ethemi
Ankaragucu possible starting lineup:
Gungordu; Bilazer, Radakovic, Mujakic, Hanousek; Cigerci, Bekiroglu, Cephas, Morutan, Rodrigues; Bajic
We say: Istanbulspor 0-2 Ankaragucu
This is an intriguing showdown between two teams with newly-appointed managers that could develop into an exciting tactical duel.
Istanbulspor currently lack confidence, while Ankaragucu will be looking to build on the momentum of their recent 3-0 win before the international break, which could prove too difficult for the struggling home side to handle.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
