Fenerbahce will look to keep their Turkish Super Lig title hopes alive when they welcome arch-rivals Besiktas to Sukru Saracoglu Stadium for a fierce Istanbul derby on Sunday evening.
The hosts remain five points adrift of leaders Galatasaray with just five matches left to play, leaving little margin for error in their chase for a first title since 2014.
Match preview
After a disappointing 3-3 draw with Kayserispor, the Yellow Canaries bounced back with a dramatic 3-1 win over Gaziantep, scoring three goals in four second-half minutes to seal the turnaround.
Fenerbahce have found goals easy to come by lately, hitting at least three in each of their last five Super Lig games to keep their faint title hopes alive, firepower they will hope helps them overcome Besiktas.
However, they must be wary of a repeat of the reverse fixture, where they fell 1-0 to Besiktas, and now risk losing both league derbies in a season for the first time since 2004-05.
Fenerbahce have been imperious at the Sukru Saracoglu Stadium, picking up more points at home than any other team in the league this season, and with three games left to play on their ground, the Yellow Canaries will hope to maximize those results.
The hosts will also be desperate to avoid any slip-up, knowing Galatasaray must drop points twice for them to stand a realistic chance of overhauling the deficit.
Besiktas, meanwhile, enter the derby buoyed by a 5-1 demolition of Hatayspor, a result that ended their three-game winless streak and reignited the European push.
Ciro Immobile‘s hat-trick in the win was a major confidence boost, having gone over three months without scoring from open play prior to last weekend, while he last scored in March from the penalty spot.
The Black Eagles currently sit fourth in the table, two points ahead of Eyupspor, and with a game in hand on the newly-promoted side, while Ole Gunnar Solskjaer‘s side are also eyeing third place, with Samsunspor only two points ahead despite playing an extra match.
However, they have struggled in recent away games, failing to win any of the last three, with two draws against Goztepe and Kasimpasa and a loss to Kasimpasa.
Solskjaer knows this is the toughest game remaining in their run-in with four winnable fixtures to come after this potentially season-defining clash againstAdana Demirspor, Alanyaspor, Caykur Rizespor and Bodrumspor.
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Team News
Fenerbahce will be without Jayden Oosterwolde and Rodrigo Becao, both of whom are out with cruciate ligament injuries.
Filip Kostic is suspended and Allan Saint-Maximin remains sidelined, so Levent Mercan will slot in at left wing-back.
Mert Hakan Yandas and Mert Muldur are also unavailable but were not expected to feature in the starting XI.
Besiktas are also dealing with several absences, with centre-back duo Felix Uduokhai and Gabriel Paulista both injured, so Tayyip Talha Sanuc will start.
Mustafa Hekimoglu is expected to replace the injured Ernest Muci, while Bakhtiyor Zaynutdinov is also out, though he was not likely to start.
Fenerbahce possible starting lineup:
Livakovic; Skriniar, Carlos, Soyuncu; Mercan, Fred, Amrabat, Szymanski, Aydin; Talisca, Dzeko
Besiktas possible starting lineup:
Gunok; Masuaku, Sanuc, Topcu, Svensson; Hadziahmetovic, Fernandes; Rashica, Rafa, Hekimolglu; Immobile
We say: Fenerbahce 3-1 Besiktas
Fenerbahce’s attacking form has been relentless, scoring at least three goals in each of their last five league games, and Jose Mourinho’s motivation to fight for the title is still sky-high, while Besiktas remain inconsistent on the road, which is why we are predicting a home win.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
