Two unbeaten teams in the Turkish Super Lig will face off when Besiktas welcome Eyupspor to Vodafone Park (Istanbul) on Sunday.
Both teams are coming into this clash on the back of respective draws and will be looking to lay a marker in their first-ever top-flight meeting.
Match preview
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Besiktas dropped points for the first time this season after salvaging a 1-1 draw against ten-man Trabzonspor last time out – a game in which they felt they could have achieved more given that their opponents had a player sent off as early as the 13th minute.
However, the Black Eagles will cling to the fact that they remain unbeaten across all competitions this season, winning five of seven games, including three victories in the league and a commanding 5-0 victory over league champions Galatasaray in the Super Cup.
Giovanni van Bronckhorst's men have now accumulated 10 points in the current Super Lig campaign, which has left them in third place, five points behind league leaders Galatasaray who have played one extra game.
The Black Eagles will seek to maintain their strong start when they face another unbeaten side in the league – a team they have defeated in all six encounters between them across all competitions.
Besiktas have been solid at home over the last couple of months, remaining unbeaten in their last nine competitive matches on home soil across all competitions, winning six and drawing three.
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Eyupspor have taken to the Super Lig like a duck to water in their debut season, remaining unbeaten after five matches, winning two and drawing three, including their latest draw against Kayserispor.
Arda Turan's side raced into a two-goal lead in the first half thanks to goals from Mame Thiam and Samuel Saiz, but a poor nine-minute spell in the second half saw them concede two goals, settling for a 2-2 draw.
The Istanbul-based club are now fifth in the table with nine points, six points behind league leaders Galatasaray heading into matchday six.
Despite losing all previous meetings with Besiktas, Turan's side will enter this clash feeling confident of securing a positive result, given their ongoing six-match unbeaten run on the road dating back to the previous season in the TFF First League.
Team News
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Besiktas will be without goalkeeper Ersin Destanoglu and midfielder Necip Uysal, who are sidelined with shoulder and ligament injuries, respectively.
Ciro Immobile, who has scored three league goals in this campaign, will hope to add to his tally when he is expected to lead the line for the visitors on Sunday.
Eyupspor will head into this match without two midfielders: Recep Niyaz, who is suffering from a knee injury, and Taskin Ilter, who is sidelined with an ankle.
Saiz, who has scored three goals for the visitors – the most by anyone in the team, will hope to retain his place in the starting XI for this clash.
Besiktas possible starting lineup:
Gunok; Svensson, Gabriel, Uduokhai, Masuaku; Fernandes, Al-Msurati; Rashica, Silva, Mario; Immobile
Eyupspor possible starting lineup:
Ozer; Kabasakal, Erkin, Claro, Meras; Midtsjo, Yalcin; Akbaba, Saiz, Thiam; Kutucu
We say: Besiktas 1-1 Eyupspor
Both teams have shown defensive solidity and prudence in attack so far, and we think that this will remain the same – which is why we think that this clash will end in a draw, as both teams might take a cautious approach.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
