Antalyaspor welcome newly promoted Goztepe SK to the Antalya Stadium on Saturday in gameweek one of the 2024-25 Turkish Super Lig season.
The Scorpions finished mid-table last term, and they aim to get off to a strong start in the hope of outdoing that position against an opponent that has not played in the top division for two years.
Match preview
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Antalyaspor's position in the Turkish Super Lig has oscillated in recent campaigns, underlined by ending seventh, 13th and 10th in the past three campaigns.
Sergen Yalcin has departed with former Fenerbahce midfielder Alex in situ at the start of the 24-25 campaign as the home side aim to better last season's final position.
The Scorpions have never quite managed to match their fifth-place finish in the 2016-17 campaign, finishing seventh two years later and in 2021-22 their recent highs.
For a side that have never tasted top-flight success, ending fifth just two seasons after regaining promotion was admirable, but it remains to be seen if they can eclipse that peak nearly a decade later.
In only his second managerial role, Alex aims to start his tenure on a positive note, and he can count on the home support on his bow in Antalya.
The returning Goztepe hope to ruin the former Fenerbahce midfielder's big comeback to the Turkish top division by avoiding defeat after two years away.
Goz Goz were runners-up in the second tier last term to seal their return having lost their top-flight status in 2021-22 season after a second-bottom final position.
After guiding Goztepe back to the Super Lig, Stanimir Stoilov seeks improvement for a side whose top-flight decline was underscored by bottom-half finishes in two of three campaigns before their eventual relegation.
It was indeed a far cry from the Goz Goz side that ended sixth in 2017-18 under Tamer Tuna, and it remains to be seen if those heights are attainable for the Izmir outfit.
First, Stoilov's troops must avoid an immediate return to the second tier, with that journey starting at the Antalya Stadium this weekend.
Team News
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Alanyaspor have no reported injury absentees heading into gameweek one, giving Alex a full squad on Saturday.
Five new signings are set to make their first appearances for the team, with Kenan Piric, Thalisson Kelven, Soner Dikmen, Moussa Djenepo and Braian Samudio anticipated to start for the home side.
With last season's 16-goal striker Adam Buksa — on loan from Lens in 2023-24 — no longer at the club, Samudio aims to start strongly for his new side.
Goztepe's Ogun Bayrak is expected to miss gameweek one's visit to Antalyaspor due to injury.
Koray Gunter, Djalma Silva, Nazim Sangare and Kuryu Matsuki could all make their competitive debuts while a spot on the bench may suffice for Ekrem Kilicarslan and Novatus Mirosha.
Antalyaspor possible starting lineup:
Piric; Balco, Kelven, Ozturk, Vural; Kaluzinski, Dikmen; Larsson, Streek, Djenepo; Samudio
Goztepe SK possible starting lineup:
Ozcimen; Heliton, Gunter, Altikardes; Sangare, Ildiz, Matsuki, Kayan, Silva; Kanatsizkus, Romulo
We say: Antalyaspor 2-2 Goztepe SK
While pre-season fixtures are typically not a reflection of what to expect in gameweek one, Antalyaspor and Goztepe averaging 3.0 goals per game in their off-season friendly games possibly point to a high-scoring fixture in Antalya this weekend.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
