Kasimpasa welcome Besiktas to the Recep Tayyip Erdogan Stadium on Monday, as both sides aim to build on statement victories in the Turkish Super Lig.
The hosts are fresh off an impressive 2-0 triumph away at Samsunspor, while the visitors stunned arch-rivals Galatasaray with a 2-1 victory, handing the league leaders their first defeat of the season.
Match preview
© Imago
After a four-match winless run, Kasimpasa have bounced back with two consecutive league victories, with the most recent being their first top-flight victory at Samsunspor’s ground.
Their latest success saw them deliver a composed and clinical second-half performance, with goals from Mamadou Fall and Nuno da Costa, while goalkeeper Andreas Gianniotis played a pivotal role with a string of fine saves.
This recent upturn in form has propelled the Apaches into the top half of the table, but they will need to collect 18 points from their remaining eight fixtures if they are to equal their tally of 56 points from last season, a mark that earned them a fifth-place finish.
A win on Monday would mark three consecutive victories for Kasimpasa for the first time this campaign, and encouragingly for the home side, they have enjoyed the upper hand in recent meetings with Besiktas, winning each of the last three encounters, including a 3-1 win in the reverse fixture earlier this season.
A fourth straight victory over the Black Eagles would be a first in their history, and they will be banking on Fall, who has scored in each of the last two games.
© Imago
Besiktas arrive off the back of a bittersweet week – while they ended Galatasaray’s unbeaten run in the league, a midweek Turkish Cup quarter-final 3-1 defeat to Goztepe put a dampener on their momentum.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer‘s side must now focus solely on securing European qualification, as they currently occupy the Conference League position but trail third-placed Samsunspor by just four points — with a game in hand, though with fifth-placed Eyupspor only three points behind, there’s little margin for error.
The visitors have struggled on the road recently, losing 1-0 to Konyaspor in their last away outing, while they also carry a concerning trend into this clash, having failed to beat Kasimpasa in their last three meetings.
Ironically, both teams are tied for the most away draws in the league this season (six), and another stalemate may do little to boost Besiktas’ European hopes.
- L
- L
- D
- L
- W
- W
Team News
© Imago
Kasimpasa will be without da Costa, who serves a suspension for accumulated yellow cards, leaving Josip Brekalo as the likely partner to Fall in attack.
Claudio Winck remains sidelined through injury, paving the way for Jhon Espinoza to step in, but Aytac Kara has returned to full fitness and is available for selection.
Besiktas continue to contend with several injuries, with Felix Uduokhai, Emrecan Terzi, Necip Uysal, Elan Ricardo and Bakhtiyor Zaynutdinov all remaining unavailable.
Additionally, Semih Kilicsoy will miss out through suspension following his red card against Galatasaray.
Kasimpasa possible starting lineup:
Gianniotis; Ozcan, Piatowski, Opoku; Rodrigues; Gul, Hajradinovic, Ouanes, Espinoza; Fall, Brekalo
Besiktas possible starting lineup:
Gunok; Masuaku, Paulista,Topcu, Svensson; Fernandes, Oxlade-Chamberlain; Muci, Mario, Rashica; Rafa
We say: Kasimpasa 2-2 Besiktas
Kasimpasa have found form in recent weeks, highlighted by their impressive victory at a difficult away ground last time out – however, Besiktas remain firmly in the hunt for European qualification, and their morale-boosting win over Galatasaray could provide the momentum they need.
With both sides carrying confidence into this clash, we are tipping an entertaining, goal-laden draw.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
