Two teams looking to bounce back from defeats meet on Saturday as Istanbul Basaksehir host Trabzonspor at the Basaksehir Fatih Terim Stadium.
The hosts have suffered two defeats in their last three Turkish Super Lig matches, while the visitors arrive on the back of successive losses, adding further importance to this encounter.
Match preview
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Istanbul Basaksehir’s inconsistency has seen their European hopes fade, with the Grey Owls managing just two wins in their last six league outings.
After snapping a two-game winless streak with a narrow 1-0 victory over Sivasspor, Cagdas Atan‘s men were brought back down to earth with a 3-1 defeat away to relegation-threatened Kayserispor.
Now sitting eight points adrift of fourth-placed Besiktas, their focus will be on finishing as high as possible – however, their recent attacking struggles have been a major concern, particularly for club and league top scorer Krzysztof Piatek, who has not scored in his last four league appearances.
Basaksehir have failed to score in three of their last five matches in all competitions and have netted just once in each of their last two, while they have not scored more than one goal in a game since a cup victory over Corum over a month ago.
A meeting with Trabzonspor does not bode well given their recent struggles in front of goal, as the Grey Owls have failed to score in their last three encounters with the visitors, all of which ended in 1-0 defeats.
In fact, Basaksehir have only scored more than once in one of their last six meetings with Trabzonspor, which also happens to be their sole victory in that period.
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However, Trabzonspor have their own issues to contend with, putting their four-match unbeaten streak in this fixture at risk.
The Black Sea Storm, whose season has been largely sustained by their home form, were stunned at Papara Park last time out, losing 2-1 to Hatayspor after conceding in both halves.
That defeat marked their third loss in five league matches and a second in a row, effectively ending any faint hopes of a late push for European qualification.
Their away form has been particularly alarming, having picked up just five points from a possible 36, while they remain the only team yet to record an away win this season, with Hatayspor’s victory in Trabzon last weekend ensuring that.
With the prospect of a third consecutive defeat looming, a run they last endured in November, Trabzonspor face an uphill task in Istanbul.
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Team News
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Basaksehir remain without winter signing Festy Ebosele, who is still recovering from injury, while Onur Ergun also remains sidelined.
However, Omer Ali Sahiner returns from suspension, having missed the last match due to accumulated yellow cards.
Trabzonspor will be without Anthony Nwakaeme, who is ruled out with a calf injury, while Onuralp Cevikkan is also unavailable.
Borna Barisic has suffered a serious knee injury and is not expected to feature again this season, while Okay Yokuslu is suspended due to an accumulation of yellow cards.
Istanbul Basaksehir possible starting lineup:
Sengezer; Duarte, Opoku, Ba, Lima; Crespo; Sari, Kemen, Turuc, Figueiredo; Piatek
Trabzonspor possible starting lineup:
Cakir; Turkmen, Lundstram, Batagov, Bosluk; Mendy, Yokuslu; Zubkov, Visca, Sikan; Banza
We say: Istanbul Basaksehir 1-1 Trabzonspor
With both sides struggling for form, this is expected to be a tight and cautious affair, with Basaksehir struggling for goals and Trabzonspor’s dreadful away record.
Given these trends, a high-scoring game seems unlikely, and we believe that it will end in a stalemate, as both teams will be wary of avoiding defeats rather than going for the win.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
