Relegation-threatened Istanbulspor could leave the Super Lig danger zone if they beat Istanbul Basaksehir in Saturday's clash at the Necmi Kadioglu Stadium.
Neither side won their last fixtures, with the Bulls losing a relegation six-pointer with Ankaragucu 3-2 and Basaksehir drawing 1-1 against Sivasspor.
Match preview
© Reuters
Just when Istanbulspor thought they had some momentum in the relegation scrap, three losses put paid to the optimism felt in the Esenyurt District.
The Bulls claimed three successive Super Lig victories against Konyaspor, Alanyaspor and Sivasspor, but that has been followed by a run of three defeats in as many gameweeks.
That positive run produced six goals for and just one against, giving Fatih Tekke hope of survival after losing 10 of 13 preceding fixtures in the competition.
While they are still scoring — the Bulls have netted three times in the last three losses — the goals conceded column is where their problems lie, with seven let in over the recent defeats.
The optimism those two clean sheets gave the third-bottom side has disappeared, and they could find themselves leapfrogged by Umraniyespor if they are beaten this weekend.
Basaksehir are the visitors in this meeting between two Istanbul-based outfits in the top flight, looking to continue their unbeaten run.
However, the Grey Owls' undefeated sequence requires the appropriate context — they have only claimed one victory in the last three.
Draws against Fatih Karagumruk and Sivasspor have diluted the away side's ongoing run, with five points from nine not enough for a side hoping to mount a late challenge for one of the European spots.
Basaksehir sit in fifth place, a staggering 10 points back of in-form Besiktas, so Emre Belozoglu's team will require a late collapse by the side occupying the final continental spot to end in the top three.
They could at least move level with fourth-placed side Adana Demirspor if they pick maximum points and Adana lose against mid-table Kasimpasa.
The reverse fixture ended 2-0 in favour of Emre's troops, with Youssouf Ndayishimiye scoring a double for the favourites.
Team News
© Reuters
Eduart Rroca and David Jensen are out injured and are not expected to feature for Istanbulspor on Saturday.
Tekke will have to make do without the trio of Mehmet Yesil, Muammer Sarikaya and Valon Ethemi, who were booked in the preceding round's reverse at Ankaragucu.
Edgar Ie has not played since mid-March, and the centre-back is unlikely to partake in any capacity this weekend.
Emre is also not expected to have Stefano Okaka and Serdar Gurler available for round 28's fixture.
However, Joao Figueiredo is back from suspension and should return at centre-forward.
Istanbulspor possible starting lineup:
Arda; Duhaney, Erdogan, Deli, Aksu; Ba, Sen, Ergun; Lokilo, Topalli, Eze
Istanbul Basaksehir possible starting lineup:
Sengezer; Sahiner, Duarte, Touba, Lima; Tekdemir, Biglia; Turuc, Januzaj, Szysz; Figueiredo
We say: Istanbulspor 1-2 Istanbul Basaksehir
While Istanbulspor have a knack for scoring on their turf, the inclination to concede often undermines their home performances.
Basaksehir are expected to take advantage on Saturday, thus doing the double over the Bulls in 2022-23.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
