A top-four clash in the Turkish Super Lig is set for Sunday as Fenerbahce host surprise package Goztepe SK at the Sukru Saracoglu Stadium.
Few would have expected Goztepe to sit fourth in the table at this stage of the season, but their position just two spots below the highly-rated hosts is a testament to their impressive campaign so far.
Match preview
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It has been a week of mixed emotions for Fenerbahce – while they managed to narrow the gap between themselves and Galatasaray in the title race, their Europa League campaign hangs in the balance.
The Yellow Canaries face potential elimination from Europe after a frustrating goalless draw at home against Lyon on Thursday, leaving them 23rd in the Europa League standings, while needing a crucial win away to FC Midtjylland next week in a do-or-die clash to secure playoff qualification.
Shifting focus back to domestic matters, Fenerbahce trimmed Galatasaray's lead at the top of the Super Lig to six points with a commanding 4-0 victory over Adana Demirspor last Sunday – that win was followed by Galatasaray dropping points at Hatayspor, giving the second-placed side renewed hope in the title race.
However, an injury crisis in defense threatens to derail their progress, although the club have responded by bringing in Milan Skriniar on loan from PSG and permanently signing Diego Carlos from Aston Villa – however, the latter is nursing a foot injury and may not feature.
Manager Jose Mourinho will hope to avoid a repeat of the reverse fixture, where Fenerbahce squandered a two-goal lead to draw 2-2 with Goztepe, conceding the equaliser in stoppage time.
Historically, Fenerbahce have dominated this fixture at home, winning 25 of 39 encounters and losing just four – however, their most recent home defeat to Goztepe came in 2021, highlighting the visitors' potential to cause an upset.
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For Goztepe, their remarkable campaign sees them pushing for a European spot after gaining promotion last season following a two-year absence from the top flight, and a statement result against Fenerbahce would be another milestone in their unexpected journey.
However, the visitors' main weakness has been their poor form on the road – while they lead the league in home form with 28 points from a possible 30, they have managed just six points from 27 in away matches.
Stanimir Stoilov's side secured a narrow 1-0 win over Antalyaspor in their last outing but would have won by more if they had not wasted several opportunities to extend their lead.
Their battle for fourth place with fellow promoted side Eyupspor remains tight, with Goztepe holding a slim one-point advantage, although with Eyupspor face struggling Bodrum this weekend, Goztepe will need a positive result to maintain their position.
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Team News
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Irfan Can Egribayat will continue in goal for Fenerbahce as Dominik Livakovic remains sidelined with an injury until the end of January.
Jayden Oosterwolde and Rodrigo Becao are out for the season with cruciate ligament injuries, while Ismail Yuksek is unavailable until next month due to a muscle issue.
The trio of Mert Muldur, Samet Akaydin, and new signing Carlos are also ruled out with injuries, leaving Mourinho with a depleted squad ahead of this clash.
Goztepe are dealing with a host of long-term absentees including Erdogan Yesilyurt, Emre Uzun and Isaac Solet, who are all sidelined until the end of the season with cruciate ligament injuries.
David Datro Fofana, Taha Altikardes, Dogan Erdogan and Kubilay Kanatsizkus are also unavailable due to injuries, though Romulo will return from suspension, providing some good news for the visitors.
Fenerbahce possible starting lineup:
Egribayat; Soyuncu, Djiku, Mercan; Aydin, Fred, Amrabat, Kostic; Tadic; En-Nesyri, Dzeko
Goztepe SK possible starting lineup:
Lis; Gunter, Bokele, Heliton; Silva, Dennis, Miroshi, Nielsen; Tijanic, Juan, Romulo
We say: Fenerbahce 2-1 Goztepe SK
Goztepe have struggled to impress on the road this season, making this a challenging task – however, we still expect this to be a tough clash, but we believe that Fenerbahce have enough quality to secure all three points in this encounter.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
