Turkish Super Lig champions Galatasaray will begin their title defence this week when they travel to the RHG Enerturk Enerji Stadyumu to take on Kayserispor in a matchday one encounter on Saturday.
The hosts come into the match off the back of a 2-2 draw against Konyaspor in a pre-season friendly, while the visitors secured a crucial 3-0 win over Olimpija in the third round of Champions League qualifying.
Match preview
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Last season proved to be a mixed one for the hosts as they were unable to improve their 47-point tally from the 2021-22 campaign but did see their league ranking improve from 14th up to ninth.
Cagdas Atan's side recorded 15 wins, five draws and 16 losses in their 36 matches last season, leaving them 22 points behind the top four teams in the league and seven points above the drop zone.
Over the course of the season, Kayserispor took a total of 29 points from a possible 54 on home soil, posting a win rate of 50%, though they did lose their final two home games of the campaign against Alanyaspor and Ankaragucu.
In fact, the hosts only managed two wins in their final 10 matches of the season, along with three draws and five losses, including a 6-0 thrashing at the hand of their opponents in this match.
However, while they will come into this match as the clear underdogs, they will gain some confidence from the fact that they were one of only four sides that defeated Galatasaray last season, and that win came at this venue last October.
Meanwhile, Galatasaray had an excellent 2022-23 season, ending the league campaign with 88 points in their 36 matches, which was eight points clear of Fenerbahce in second place and 10 better than Besiktas.
The visitors recorded 28 wins, four draws and just four losses over the course of the season and ended the campaign with six consecutive wins while maintaining five clean sheets in that time.
Okan Buruk's side continued their impeccable form during the off-season, as they safely navigated a tricky second-round Champions League encounter against Lithuanian champions Zalgiris before taking a 3-0 lead against Olimpija in midweek.
In away matches last season, Galatasaray managed 13 wins in their 18 matches, along with two draws and three losses, which was the best away record in the league, while they also possessed the best attacking and defensive records simultaneously.
Having made a few notable acquisitions in the summer, the visitors look in good shape to make a fist of their title defence and will be expected to secure all three points in this opening fixture of the season.
Team News
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The hosts will have to start the season without the services of Ali Karimi, who is suffering from a thigh injury and is expected to be out at least until the end of the month.
Miguel Cardoso scored in the preseason against Istanbulspor and will likely lead the attack flanked by Carlos Mane and Mame Baba Thiam, who netted against Sivasspor last week.
Galatasaray have made several high-profile signings in the transfer window, such as the addition of Wilfried Zaha and Mauro Icardi, although they have had a few registration issues.
Dries Mertens has been the standout performer for the visitors in their Champions League qualifiers, scoring in each of the last two matches, and the Belgian should occupy the number 10 role behind Icardi.
Kayserispor possible starting lineup:
Bayazit; Kocaman, Hosseini, Kolovetsios; Sazdagi, Attamah, Kemen, Carole; Mane, Cardoso, Thiam
Galatasaray possible starting lineup:
Muslera; Boey, Nelsson, Bardakci, Angelino; Torreira, Oliveira, Yilmaz, Mertens, Akturkoglu; Icardi
We say: Kayserispor 0-2 Galatasaray
While Buruk could be tempted into resting a few players with a Champions League qualifier second leg on the horizon, the defending champions still have more than enough class in their tranks to secure a win in this one. It may not end in a 6-0 scoreline like the previous encounter, but we expect a solid performance nonetheless.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Top tip
Devesh Jaganath
