Two Istanbul clubs collide on Saturday in a classic David versus Goliath clash, as lowly-placed Pendikspor welcome high-flying Besiktas to the Pendik Stadium.
The hosts saw their woes compounded in midweek as they crashed out of the Turkish Cup while the visitors are in a bullish mood, having picked up three consecutive wins with clean sheets in all competitions.
Match preview
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Pendikspor relinquished a first-half lead to lose 2-1 against Antalyaspor in the Turkish Cup on Wednesday, extending their winless streak across all competitions to seven games.
Ivo Vieira's side salvaged a 1-1 draw against Hatayspor in their last league outing thanks to a 94th-minute leveller from Leandro Kappel.
Consequently, Pendikspor remain 19th in the Super Lig table, five points adrift of safety as the second half of the season kicks off.
The Pendik-based club's biggest obstacle is their defensive vulnerability, having conceded a league-high 43 goals, which means tightening up at the back is non-negotiable for Vieira's men if they want to avoid relegation.
However, this task becomes even more daunting on Saturday as they face a Besiktas side that have netted 11 goals in their last three matches across all competitions.
Meanwhile, Besiktas are soaring high, buoyed by a 4-0 victory over Eyupspor in the Turkish Cup on Tuesday and a three-game winning streak across all competitions.
Their last league outing saw them dismantle Fatih Karagumruk 3-0, which followed a 4-0 victory over Caykur Rizespor.
Fernando Santos's men remain fourth in the Turkish Super Lig table with 35 points, two points behind third-placed Trabzonspor and three points ahead of fifth-placed Rizespor.
The Black Eagles are back on the road where they have been formidable in recent games, with five wins and one draw in their last six away matches in all competitions.
Santos's side will look to win a fourth consecutive game in all competitions while keeping a clean sheet, in what will be just their second competitive meeting against Pendikspor after meeting for the first time in August when it ended 1-1.
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Team News
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Pendikspor's Emeka Eze has been sidelined with an ankle injury since September, and the Nigerian is unavailable for Saturday's game as well.
Ahmed Hassan is also unavailable as he is with the Egyptian national team for the AFCON.
For Besiktas, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain is ruled out with a thigh injury, while Amir Hadziahmetovic and Emrecan Uzunhan are both sidelined with ACL injuries.
Valentin Rosier is suspended from the squad due to poor performance, and will not play a part in this one.
Daniel Amartey, Omar Colley, Arthur Masuaku and Vincent Aboubakar are all unavailable after joining up with their national teams for the AFCON.
Pendikspor possible starting lineup:
Canpolat; Sequeira, Ozturk, Sulungoz, Asan; Kaya, Akdag, Midtsjo; Kappel, Yardimci, Akbunar
Besiktas possible starting lineup:
Gunok; Bulut, Sanuc, Zaynutdinov, Meras; Tiknaz; Hadziahmetovic, Fernandes, Kilicsoy, Rashica; Tosun
We say: Pendikspor 0-2 Besiktas
Besiktas are overwhelming favorites for this one due to their ruthlessness in attack and their recent defensive solidity. Pendikspor are the league's worst defensive team and this will hurt them against an unforgiving opponent.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
