Both aiming to begin their league phase campaigns with a victory, Istanbul Basaksehir are set to take on Rapid Vienna on Wednesday for their opening game of the Conference League.
The hosts secured their spot in the competition with a 2-0 aggregate victory in the playoff round, while the visitors were relegated to the Europa Conference League following a 4-3 aggregate loss in the Europa League playoff round.
Match preview
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Following their first-ever Turkish Super Lig title victory in 2019-20, Istanbul endured a highly disappointing 2020-21 season, dropping to a lacklustre 12th-placed finish.
The Grey Owls have managed to climb back towards the top of the standings in the following three campaigns, finishing fourth in 2021-22, fifth in 2022-23, and fourth again in 2023-24.
Aiming to climb the table and narrow the gap to the league's top teams, Cagdas Atan, who has been in charge since September 2023, has guided his side to a positive start to the campaign.
Istanbul have lost only one of their first 12 matches across all competitions, including starting the season with an impressive 10-game unbeaten streak before experiencing their first defeat to Samsunspor.
Atan's side instantly bounced back from that frustrating defeat as they triumphed 2-1 against Sivasspor, leaving them fifth in the Turkish Super Lig table with 13 points from six matches, while they also hold a game in hand on three of the four teams above them.
The hosts will be looking to continue rebuilding their early-season momentum following their first defeat with another win on Wednesday, though the visitors may pose a challenging test.
Rapid Vienna have, similarly, enjoyed a strong start to their 2024-25 campaign, losing only two of their initial 16 outings across all competitions, securing 10 victories during that period.
After beginning the term with hopes of qualifying for the Europa League, Robert Klauss's men were relegated to Europe's third-tier competition following a narrow 4-3 defeat to Sporting Braga in the playoff round.
However, this may turn out to be a blessing for Klauss and his team, as Rapid Vienna could have a better chance of progressing deep into the Conference League compared to the more highly contested Europa League.
The visitors will be looking to start their European campaign with a victory on Wednesday, and with them heading into this game unbeaten in their last six, they are likely to be full of confidence.
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Team News
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The hosts are anticipated to be without Omer Ali Sahiner and Leo Duarte for this match, with the pair having missed several recent games due to injury concerns.
Jerome Opoku may also miss out after the central defender was forced off in the 78th minute of their 2-1 victory against Sivasspor last week, leaving Hamza Gureler as a potential replacement.
Krzysztof Piatek started the campaign in hot form for Istanbul, scoring eight in their first nine, but the striker has failed to score since, a run he will be looking to end here.
The visitors are dealing with several injuries heading into this game, with as many as eight players likely to be unavailable due to various injury issues.
Bernhard Zimmermann, Ferdy Druijf, Furkan Dursun, Ismail Seydi, Jakob Scholler, Noah Bischof, Ryan Mmaee and Thierry Gale are all likely to be sidelined on Wednesday.
Elsewhere, a similar team to the one that started their most recent outing, a 1-1 draw with LASK, could be fielded for this match, with goalscorer Guido Burgstaller continuing his partnership with Dion Drena Beljo in attack.
Istanbul Basaksehir possible starting lineup:
Sengezer; Ergun, Ba, Gureler, Kemen; Turuc, Crespo, Ozdemir, Figueiredo, Gurler; Piatek
Rapid Vienna possible starting lineup:
Hedl; Bolla, Cvetkovic, Raux-Yao, Auer; Sangare, Grgic; Schaub, Seidl; Burgstaller, Beljo
We say: Istanbul Basaksehir 2-1 Rapid Vienna
Both teams have made strong starts to the 2024-25 season and will be looking to maintain that momentum with a win in their first Conference League match. However, we believe the home advantage will help Istanbul secure the victory.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Ellis Stevens
