The Super Lig returns with a fresh set of fixtures as Istanbulspor and Istanbul Basaksehir go head to head in a mouth-watering Istanbul derby at the Necmi Kadioglu Sports Complex on Monday.
Both sides have endured a turbulent start to the new campaign and will head into the fixture looking to pick up their first win of the season.
Match preview
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Istanbulspor were involved in a share of the spoils for the second consecutive game as they could only come from behind to salvage a 1-1 draw against Kayserispor.
With nothing to separate the sides in the first half, the game sparked into life in the second half as Mame Thiam broke the deadlock in the 77th minute, but Ibrahim Yilmaz responded four minutes later to force a share of the spoils.
This followed a 1-1 draw against Konyaspor in the Super Lig curtain-raiser on August 12 when Yilmaz and Sokol Cikalleshi scored for either side to force a share of the spoils at the Konya Metropolitan Municipality Stadium.
Istabulspor's slow start to the campaign has been in keeping with their underwhelming performance in pre-season, where they picked up just one win while losing four and claiming two draws in their seven friendly matches.
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Istanbul Basaksehir, on the other hand, were left empty handed for the third straight league game as they suffered a 1-0 loss against Konyaspor at the Basaksehir Fatih Terim Stadium just before the international break.
In a game where Ousseynou Ba received his marching orders, Albanian striker Cikalleshi came up trumps for the Anatolian Eagle once again as he scored the only goal of the game in the 53rd minute to see off the home side.
Emre Belozoglu's men have now lost each of their four competitive matches since the start of the 2023-24 campaign, including a 2-0 defeat at the hands of Fenerbahce in the Turkiye Kupasi final on June 11.
This poor start to the season has in no small part been owing to their lack of firepower at the attacking end of the pitch, where they have failed to find the back of the net in four of their five matches this season, with the 3-1 friendly victory over Al Markhiya on July 23 being the exception.
Next up for Basaksehir is an opposing side who have won five of the last nine meetings between the teams, including a 1-0 victory in their most recent encounter back in April courtesy of a first-half strike from Emeka Eze.
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Team News
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Turkish striker Yilmaz has scored Istanbulspor's two goals this season and we expect the former Istanbul Basaksehir man to spearhead the attack once again, alongside strike partner Kenio Santos Jackson.
At the opposite end of the pitch, we expect a back four of Demeaco Duhaney, Mehmet Yesil, Racine Coly and Vefa Temel, with David Jensen starting between the sticks once again.
Meanwhile, Istanbul Basaksehir will take to the pitch without Olympiacos loanee Ba, who is currently suspended after picking up a straight red against Konyaspor last time out.
On the injury front, Belozoglu will be unable to call upon the services of 35-year-old midfielder Mahmut Tekdemir, who has been sidelined since May through a back injury.
Polish forward Patryk Szysz picked up a knee problem against Ankaragucu on May 4 and will play no part in Sunday's game while Efe Arda Koyuncu continues his lengthy spell on the sidelines.
Istanbulspor possible starting lineup:
Jensen; Duhaney, Yesil, Coly, Temel; Loshaj, Ethemi, Rroca, Ndao; Jackson, Yilmaz
Istanbul Basaksehir possible starting lineup:
Sengezer; Sahiner, Dilek, Duarte, Lima; Ozcan, Karzev, Pelkas; Gurler, Piatek, Turuc
We say: Istanbulspor 1-2 Istanbul Basaksehir
Istanbulspor and Istanbul Basaksehir have stumbled into the new campaign and will head into the weekend in search of a pick-me-up. Belozoglu's side boasts the firepower needed to get the job done and we are backing them to see off the hosts, albeit by the odd goal.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Top tip
Joshua Ojele
