Konyaspor will be hoping to move out of the drop zone in the Super Lig table this weekend when they take on Istanbul Basaksehir at Konya Buyuksehir Belediye Stadyumu on Sunday afternoon.
The hosts are currently second bottom in the league standings with 21 points in 22 matches, while the visitors are in 10th place, having managed 27 points over the same period as their upcoming opponents.
Match preview
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After finishing well inside the top half of the Super Lig standings last season, Konyaspor have experienced a major drop-off this term, recording just four wins in the league to date, along with nine draws and nine losses.
The Anatolian Eagles managed just two victories in their first 12 league matches this season but did show signs of improvement after returning from the November international break, losing just one of their next five matches up to Christmas.
However, they began 2024 with a tricky couple of fixtures that ended in heavy back-to-back defeats, starting with a 3-0 loss to Galatasaray, followed by a 7-1 thumping at the hands of Fenerbahce which led to the axing of Hakan Keles after just 76 days in charge.
Fahrudin Omerovic was the man appointed to lead Konya to safety, and the 62-year-old does seem to have steadied the ship somewhat, posting consecutive 1-1 results in his first two matches in charge.
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While the hosts managed only four wins in the first 22 matches of the season, one of those came against Istanbul Basaksehir in the reverse fixture on the road back in September last year.
The Grey Owls will be eager to repay their opponents for that result in this match and head into the fixture carrying solid form, and a win here could see them finish the weekend in eighth place, provided other results go their way.
Cagdas Atan's side were beaten 1-0 in their last league match by the rampant Yellow Canaries, which was the first defeat they have suffered in eight matches dating back to the first week of December.
While the visitors will be hoping for a swift return to winning ways following last week's defeat, their away form this season suggests it will not be a straightforward task, having only won two of their 11 matches on the road this term.
Team News
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Konyaspor will be without the services of Gokhan Tore (ligament tear), Adil Demirbag and Muhammet Demir (ACL) for this match, with all three players ruled out due to injury.
Ogulcan Ulgun will be forced into a watching brief as he serves a one-match suspension for an accumulation of yellow cards, while Bruno Paz is away with the Angola national team in the round of 16 at the Africa Cup of Nations.
Istanbul Basaksehir will also be missing a few players due to injury, with Efe Arda Koyuncu (hamstring) and Patryk Szysz (knee) both yet to feature this season and likely to miss the majority of the remainder of the campaign.
Dimitrios Pelkas and Mehdi Abeid are flagged as doubts for Sunday's clash, also due to injury, while Mohamed Fofana is suspended due to an accumulation of yellow cards.
Konyaspor possible starting lineup:
Slowik; Oguz, Yazgili, Damjanovic, Haubert; Dikmen, Cicaldau, N'Zonzi; Moreno, Cikalleshi, Prip
Istanbul Basaksehir possible starting lineup:
Babacan; Dubois, Duarte, Opoku, Lima; Ergun; Turuc, Ilkhan, Ozcan, Gurler; Piatek
We say: Konyaspor 1-1 Istanbul Basaksehir
While Konyaspor have been poor this season, they have shown improvement under their new manager and have managed to avoid defeat in each of their last four matches in all competitions.
The visitors have the better overall record heading into this match, but their away form this season does little to inspire confidence in their chances of winning this one. We are expecting a level contest here and feel there will be nothing to split these sides at the final whistle.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Devesh Jaganath
