Besiktas will travel to Sivasspor on Saturday in round 23 of the 2024-25 Turkish Super Lig campaign, aiming for a crucial victory to keep their top-four hopes alive.
The Black Eagles sit seven points behind Eyupspor, who currently occupy the final European spot, although they have played one game fewer.
Match preview
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Ole Gunnar Solskjaer took charge of his first Super Lig match with Besiktas, overseeing a 1-1 draw against Antalyaspor, and it was a fair result, as both sides delivered a lackluster performance.
This came after the Norwegian guided Besiktas to a 4-1 Europa League victory over Athletic Club, though they ultimately failed to qualify for the playoffs following a 1-0 loss to Dutch side Twente.
Having missed last weekend's round of Super Lig fixtures, Besiktas returned to action on Tuesday, securing a comfortable 2-0 win over third-tier Kirklarelispor in the Turkish Cup.
With 32 points, the Istanbul giants sit seventh in the standings, and their game in hand presents a potential opportunity to close the gap in the race for European qualification.
Despite being unbeaten in their last five league outings, the Black Eagles have managed just one victory, drawing the other four, and another stalemate on Saturday could be as damaging as a defeat.
However, Besiktas have already beaten Sivasspor twice this season—winning 2-0 at home in the reverse league fixture and 1-0 at this venue in the Turkish Cup last month.
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Sivasspor will hope to avoid a third consecutive defeat to their visitors and instead replicate their success from the last two league meetings at home, both ending in 1-0 victories for the Braves.
However, Omer Erdogan's side struggled in their last Super Lig outing, a 1-0 defeat to Eyupspor that flattered them, marking their fifth consecutive away loss.
The Braves found some relief on Tuesday with a 2-0 Turkish Cup win over second-tier Kocaelispor, and it was only their second victory under Erdogan, who took charge in December and has managed seven matches so far.
Notably, their only league victory in that period came in their last home game against Kayserispor, and Sivasspor remain unbeaten in their last three home league matches.
The visitors have picked up two draws and a win in those games, and this could fuel some belief heading into Saturday, in a game where any positive result is a boost for the hosts, who currently sit six points clear of the relegation zone.
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Team News
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Sivasspor will be without Uros Radakovic and Murat Paluli, both suspended after receiving red cards against Eyupspor.
With Radakovic banned and Samba Camara sidelined through injury, young defender Emirhan Basyigit is expected to earn a rare start.
Ugur Ciftci, Garry Rodrigues, Emrah Bassan and Bengali-Fode Koita are all recovering from muscle injuries and remain unavailable.
Additionally, Mehmet Albayrak has suffered a cruciate ligament tear and is ruled out until March 2025.
Besiktas will be without playmaker Rafa Silva, who is suspended due to accumulated yellow cards, while midfielder Moatasem Al-Musrati has joined French side Monaco on loan.
Necip Uysal and Gabriel Paulista remain sidelined with long-term injuries and are not expected to return until March 2025, while Emrecan Terzi, Tayyip Talha Sanuc and Bakhtiyor Zaynutdinov are also unavailable due to injuries.
Sivasspor possible starting lineup:
Vural; Erdal, Basyigit, Sundberg, Okumus; Moutoussamy, Cigerci, Charisis; Boke, Manaj, Turgunboev
Besiktas possible starting lineup:
Gunok; Masuaku, Uduokhai, Topcu, Svensson; Ucan, Fernandes; Chamberlain, Mario, Rashica; Kilicsoy
We say: Sivasspor 1-2 Besiktas
Both teams will be missing key players, but Besiktas boast superior squad depth and quality replacements, making them slight favorites despite Sivasspor's home form, which is why we are predicting an away victory.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
