Konyaspor will look to keep their unbeaten record in the 2023-24 Turkish Super League intact when they head to Basaksehir Fatih Terim Stadyumu to face Istanbul Basaksehir on Saturday evening.
The hosts were beaten 2-0 by Fatih Karagumruk in their last league match two weeks ago, while the visitors secured their first win of the season, beating Gaziantep FK 2-0 last weekend.
Match preview
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After finishing last season in fifth place, the 2023-24 season has not gone according to plan for Istanbul Basaksehir, who are still to get off the mark this campaign following defeats in their opening two fixtures.
Emre Belozoglu's have also failed to score a single goal as yet this term, losing 2-0 to both Alanyaspor and Fatih Karagumruk, while they also failed to register in a friendly against Istanbulspor over the weekend.
In an attempt to address their attacking issues, the hosts have brought in Krzysztof Piatek from Hertha Berlin over the summer, and the Pole will be hoping to open his account for his new employers in this one.
While their performances have not been great this season, the Grey Owls do have a very good record against this opponent, unbeaten in their last three meetings, including a 2-0 win in the most recent encounter.
Konyaspor also experienced a drop-off last season, falling from third place in the 2021-22 campaign to eighth last term, 18 points behind Adana Demirspor in the fourth and final Conference League qualification spot.
The Anatolian Eagle recorded 12 wins, 15 draws and nine losses in their 36 league matches, although they did possess the league's fourth-best defensive stats with just 41 goals conceded.
Aleksandar Stanojevic's side began their season with consecutive 1-1 draws against Istanbulspor and Konyaspor in the first two weeks but seemed to have found their rhythm last weekend, with Guilherme and Robert Muric finding the net to give their side their first win of the current campaign.
Having laid a solid platform for the season, Konyaspor will be full of confidence coming into this fixture and will know that these are the types of matches they need to win in order to compete for the coveted European Cup spots.
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Team News
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Efe Arda Koyuncu (ligament), Mahmut Tekdemir (back) and Patryk Szysz (meniscus) are all ruled out of this match due to injury for the hosts.
Having served his one-match ban for the two yellows he received against Alanyaspor, Joao Figueiredo will be eligible for selection here and is expected to return to the starting 11.
Muhammet Demir and Ataberk Karababa are expected to be sidelined for extended periods due to injury, while Mehmet Erdogan will need to pass a late fitness test after missing the last two games.
Cebrail Karayel has shaken off a muscle injury and could return to the squad, while Adil Demirbag was shown a straight red against Istanbulspor and will serve the second of his three-match ban here.
Istanbul Basaksehir possible starting lineup:
Sengezer; Sahiner, Edgar Ie, Duarte, Lima; Ozcan, Pelkas, Karzev; Figueiredo, Piatek, Gurler
Konyaspor possible starting lineup:
Bernardoni; Oguz, Yazgili, Calvo, Haubert; Paz, Dikmen, Muric, Cicaldau, Moreno; Cikalleshi
We say: Istanbul Basaksehir 1-1 Konyaspor
The hosts are a better side than their record this season suggests, and we expect them to put on an improved performance in front of their home crowd this week. While there are doubts about whether they can go on to win the match, we feel they will be able to grind out at least a point.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Top tip
Devesh Jaganath
