Trabzonspor will be aiming to extend their unbeaten run to seven league games when they host Galatasaray on Sunday.
The visitors, meanwhile, head into the weekend's action two points behind Fenerbahce at the top of the Turkish Super Lig table.
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Trabzonspor lifted their first domestic title in almost four decades when winning the league two seasons ago, but they finished 31 points behind the champions Galatasaray last season. A sixth-placed finish was not enough for Abdullah Avci's side to qualify for Europe.
The 60-year-old returned to the club last October having resigned for personal reasons seven months prior. The former Istanbul Basaksehir and Besiktas boss is a club legend after ending the Burgundy Blues' title drought two seasons ago.
They have returned to form under Avci this season, collecting 37 points from 20 games to move up to third position. Trabzospor also progressed to the next round of the Turkish Cup by beating Manisa BBSK 3-1 on Thursday, with a brace from Enis Destan edging his side through.
However, they will face the ultimate test when hosting the champions at Papara Park on Sunday. Lifting the title is almost certainly beyond any team except Fenerbahce and Galatasaray given the gap those two sides have created at the top of the division, but Trabzonspor have their own European qualification aspirations and will be desperate to prove they can beat one of the strongest teams in the country.
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Galatasaray, meanwhile, moved four titles clear of Fenerbahce onto 23 by finishing eight points clear of their ultimate rivals last season. The two Istanbul-based giants were involved in a titanic title tussle for the majority of the season, and the same appears to be occurring this time around.
The Lions made it a perfect 10 victories from 10 at Rams Park by dispatching Kayserispor 2-1 on Monday, before thrashing Umraniye 4-1 in the Turkish Cup on Thursday. Okan Buruk's side missed out on reaching the knockout stages of the Champions League, but they have a Europa League last-32 tie against Sparta Prague to look forward to next month.
In the meantime, though, they will be desperate to leapfrog Fenerbahce at the Turkish Super Lig summit across the coming weeks. Since they drew 0-0 against each other to remain level on points with each other on Christmas Eve, Galatasaray blinked first when dropping two points away to Sivasspor in their most recent away match.
As such, Buruk and his players will be aware of the difficulty of their upcoming fixture against one of the form teams in the division. Galatasaray have won just one of their last six away games in all competitions, which they will need to improve sooner rather than later if they are to retain their domestic title.
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Trabzonspor will be without Trezeguet, Nicolas Pepe, and Paul Onuachu, who are all away on international duty at the Africa Cup of Nations. Stefano Denswil and Mislav Orsic are sidelined by injuries, while Tonio Teklic, Abdulkadir Omur, and Umut Bozok are all doubtful due to muscle strains.
Destan will almost certainly lead the line once again having bagged a brace in midweek, with Avci unlikely to make any changes from the side which claimed a 1-1 draw away to Antalyaspor last weekend.
Galatasaray, meanwhile, are without Cedric Bakambu and Hakim Ziyech, who are representing DR Congo and Morocco respectively at AFCON. Sergio Oliveira is ruled out due to a muscle injury, but Davinson Sanchez returned to action from the bench against Umraniye in midweek.
Buruk may see little reason to change a winning formula after beating Kayserispor last weekend, meaning Mauro Icardi will be given more time to recover from the facial issue that he sustained against Fenerbahce last month.
Trabzonspor possible starting lineup:
Cakir; Aydin, Baniya, Benkovic, Elmali; Mendy, Ozdemir; Visca, Bardhi, Fountas; Destan
Galatasaray possible starting lineup:
Muslera; Boey, Nelsson, Bardakci, Yilmaz; Ndombele, Torreira; Tete, Mertens, Zaha; Dervisoglu
We say: Trabzonspor 1-1 Galatasaray
With both teams missing some key players due to international duty and injuries, neither side are likely to be at their best on Sunday. However, we still expect to see an entertaining encounter play out, with Trabzonspor proving themselves to be the best of the rest so far this season.
As such, we can envisage them avoiding defeat against the reigning champions, who have struggled to an extent on the road in recent weeks. They are missing Icardi's predatory instincts in attack and this could see them cede further ground to Fenerbahce at the top of the table.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Top tip
Brett Curtis
