Konyaspor and Istanbulspor get their 2023-24 Turkish Super Lig campaign underway when they go head to head at the Konya Buyuksehir Arena on Saturday.
The Bulls are generally slow starters, having failed to win each of their last four opening-day fixtures, and will look to get off and running on a more positive note to this season.
Match preview
Konyasopr endured an underwhelming Super Lig campaign last season as they finished eighth in the table and failed to secure a second back-to-back appearance in Europe.
Off the back of an impressive third-placed finish in the 2021-22 campaign, Aleksandar Stanojevic's men collected 51 points to finish level with seventh-placed Fatih Karagumruk.
Konyasopr ended the season with 49 league goals scored, the fewest of the sides in the top half of the table and their lowest tally since netting just 36 in the 2019-20 campaign.
The Anatolian Eagles will now look to build on what was a decent pre-season, where they picked up three wins from their five matches, including last Saturday's 3-1 victory over Ankaragucu.
In that encounter, Robert Muric, Yunus Malli and Mehmet Ali Buyuksayar all hit the target at the Bestepe Cemal Aydın Tesisleri to end Konyaspor's preparation for the new campaign on a high.
Istanbulspor, on the other hand, needed all three points on the final day of last season to guarantee their top-flight status as they finished just one point and one place above the relegation zone.
Having lost each of their previous three matches, Fatih Tekke's men found themselves just one point above 16th-placed Giresunspor heading into the season finale against Umraniyespor in an all-Istanbul affair.
However, Jetmir Topalli, Eduart Rroca, Muammer Sarikaya and Emeka Eze all found the back of the net to hand the Bulls an all-important win and keep them in the top flight for a second successive season.
Istanbuspor head into the new campaign off the back of a 1-0 loss against Fatih Karagumruk in their final friendly game at the Necmi Kadioglu Sports Complex on August 6.
This wrapped up what was a disappointing pre-season, where they picked up just one win in their seven friendly matches while losing four and claiming one draw.
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Team News
Konyasopr will be without veteran forward Muhammer Demir for the start of the new campaign as the 31-year-old has been sidelined since April through a knee injury.
Fellow striker Uche Ikpeazu has also been out of action since picking up a severe muscle problem against Istanbulspor in February and is also out of contention for the hosts.
Konyasopr recently completed the signing of former Manchester United midfielder Morgan Schneiderlin and the 33-year-old is expected to make his debut for the home side here.
There are several new faces in the Istanbuspor squad, with the likes of David Sambissa, Apostolos Diamantis and Mendy Mamadou in line to make their debut.
Lithuania international Modestas Vorobjovas has also completed a move from Romanian outfit Chindia Targoviste and could start at the middle of the park this weekend.
Valon Ethemi was pivotal in keeping Tekke's men afloat last season and the 25-year-old, who scored 12 goals and set up for more, will be looking to deliver the goods once again.
Konyaspor possible starting lineup:
Bernardoni; Demirbag, Demirtas, Oguz, Haubert; Paz, Cicaldau, Dikmen; Muric, Moreno, Cikalleshi
Istanbulspor possible starting lineup:
Jensen; Duhaney, Erdogan, Yesil, Yasar; Vorobjovas; Sarikaya, Rroca, Topalli, Ethemi; Gultekin
We say: Konyaspor 2-1 Istanbulspor
Off the back of an unconvincing pre-season, Konyaspor and Instabulspor will be looking to pick up a morale-boosting victory to start the campaign. The Bulls have struggled to grind out results on the road this year and we fancy Stanojevic's men picking up all three points in front of their home supporters.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Top tip
Joshua Ojele
