Fresh off the back of reaching the Turkiye Kupasi semi-finals, Fenerbahce visit the Ataturk Olympic Stadium to face Fatih Karagumruk in round 28 of the Super Lig on Monday.
Having failed to win any of the last six meetings between the sides, the Kara Kirmizi will head into the game looking to get one over the visitors as they eye a top-half finish.
Match preview
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Fatih Karagumruk turned in a solid defensive performance last Monday when they held their own to claim a narrow 1-0 victory over Istanbulspor at the Necmi Kadioglu Sports Complex.
In a game where Davide Biraschi received his marching orders, Senegal international Mbaye Diagne scored the only goal of the game in the 27th minute to leave the visitors languishing in the danger zone.
Andrea Pirlo's men have now gone 11 consecutive games without defeat in the Super Lig, claiming five wins and six draws since their 2-1 Christmas Day defeat against Adana Demirspor.
Fatih Karagumruk's solid campaign has been owing to their impressive display at the attacking end of the pitch, where they have scored 52 goals so far, with only Fenerbahce (63) and Galatasaray (54) scoring more in the league.
The Kara Kirmizi have now picked up eight wins, 10 draws and lost seven of their 25 matches to collect 34 points and sit ninth in the Super Lig table, albeit with one game in hand.
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Fenerbahce, on the other hand, edged closer to their ninth Turkiye Kupasi title as they cruised to a 4-1 victory over Kayserispor in their quarter-final clash on Thursday.
In a one-sided affair at the Sukru Saracoglu Stadium, goals from Sedar Dursun, Arda Gular and a first-half brace from Emre Mor helped the hosts secure a smooth passage to the cup semi-finals.
Fenerbahce now return to action in the Super Lig where they suffered a disappointing 4-2 defeat at the hands of heated rivals Besiktas when the sides squared off last Sunday.
Jorge Jesus's men were previously on a run of seven consecutive games without defeat in the league, picking up six wins and one draw while scoring 19 goals and conceding six since mid-January.
However, Fenerbahce are unbeaten in all but one of their last seven away games across all competitions — claiming five wins and one draw — with March's 2-0 loss against Sevilla in the Europa League being the exception.
With 54 points from 25 games, the Yellow Canaries are currently second in the Super Lig standings, nine points adrift of league leaders Galatasaray, albeit with a game in hand.
Fenerbahce will be backing themselves to keep their title hopes alive as Monday's game pits them against an opposing side who are winless in their last six meetings, losing three and claiming three draws since August 2020.
Team News
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Fatih Karagumruk will be without Biraschi, who will serve a one-game suspension after picking up a late red card against Istanbulspor last time out.
In his absence, former Galatasaray man Salih Dursun should fill in at right-back, forming the defensive line with Bruno Rodrigues, Ibrahim Dresevic and Levent Mercan.
On the injury front, Pirlo will be unable to call upon Efecan Mizrakci and 20-year-old midfielder Efe Tatli, who have been ruled out through ankle and ACL injuries respectively.
Teenage defender Emir Tintis continues his long spell on the sidelines after coming off with a severe injury in November's cup clash against Kirsehir Belediyespor.
Fenerbahce remain without several key players down the spine of the team, as Lincoln (ACL), Jayden Oosterwolde (ligament) and Joshua King (hamstring) are all recuperating from injuries.
Former Chelsea striker Michy Batshuayi, who has 10 goals in 15 league appearances, is also dealing with a hamstring problem and is set to sit out his fourth consecutive game.
Brazilian defender Luan Peres suffered a muscle injury in February and the 28-year-old is out of contention for the trip to the Ataturk Olympic Stadium.
Mert Hakan Yandas will also miss Monday's game through a domestic one-game suspension after crossing the yellow card threshold with his booking in the cup win over Kayserispor.
Fatih Karagumruk possible starting lineup:
Sen; Dursun, Rodrigues, Dresevic, Mercan; Bertolacci, Ricci, Ozdoev; Kapacak, Diagne, Borini
Fenerbahce possible starting lineup:
Bayindir; Kadioglu, Aziz, Akaydin, Szalai; Osayi-Samuel, Arao, Guler, Rossi; Valencia; Pedro
We say: Fatih Karagumruk 1-3 Fenerbahce
While Fatih Karagumruk will be looking to extend their fine run of form, Jesus's side know that they cannot afford any more slip-ups if they are to catch Galatasaray at the top of the table. We predict plenty of goalmouth action at the Ataturk Olympic Stadium on Monday with Fenerbahce claiming all three points.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Top tip
Joshua Ojele
