Following an elusive win last weekend, Galatasaray will look to take another step towards improving their poor domestic season on Sunday, when they welcome Caykur Rizespor to Istanbul.
The 22-time domestic champions climbed to 13th spot in the Turkish Super Lig table with a dramatic 3-2 victory last time out, while their visitors are languishing in 18th spot having failed to win any of their last four matches.
Match preview
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After only missing out on the Super Lig title on goal difference last season, Galatasaray have had to battle through a dismal campaign this time around, currently finding themselves deep in the bottom half.
While they have impressed on the continental stage, achieving automatic qualification for the Europa League round of 16 by topping their group, the Istanbul outfit headed into a recent meeting with Goztepe having only won one of their previous 14 league games since the beginning of November, earning just nine points in that time.
As a result, Domenec Torrent's side had dropped uncomfortably close to the relegation zone, and they looked set to fall to another defeat in that game, trailing 2-1 until the 87th minute, only for Bafetimbi Gomis to equalise with a penalty before he netted his second spot kick of the game in the seventh added minute to snatch all three points.
Now sitting 13th, and still only leading the drop zone by six points, Gala will be desperate to build on last week's turnaround and record consecutive league wins for the first time since October.
They welcome a Caykur Rizespor side fighting for survival, with the visitors currently sitting 18th in the Turkish top flight.
While Karadeniz Atmacasi did show signs of encouragement in January with a draw against champions Besiktas and a crucial victory over Antalyaspor in quick succession, they have since dropped back into an unenviable position having failed to win any of their last four matches.
The victory was firstly followed by a commendable goalless draw with Hatayspor, before the side suffered a 3-1 defeat at the hands of Adana Demirspor and played out a stalemate with fellow strugglers Altay.
A 2-0 defeat to Istanbul Basaksehir last Friday was the final straw for manager Hamza Hamzaoglu, and the board have now turned to Bulent Korkmaz, who will oversee his first game against the side he spent his entire playing career with, making 430 appearances for Gala and lifting eight Super Lig trophies alongside a UEFA Cup triumph.
With 12 league games to go and the side sat four points adrift, Korkmaz will know that he faces a tough test, but one that is possible to overcome, particularly if he can get off to a winning start and build a run of form quickly.
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Team News
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Galatasaray remain without veteran goalkeeper Fernando Muslera, as the Uruguay international continues to recover from an injury, leaving Inaki Pena to deputise between the sticks.
Bafetimbi Gomis will likely be rewarded with a start after netting two decisive goals off the bench last time out.
Torrent has the option to introduce more quality to the starting XI, with full-back Patrick van Aanholt and winger Sofiane Feghouli being particularly notable names on the bench last weekend.
Korkmaz may look to make several changes to the Caykur Rizespor side for his first game, and he will have to deal with the continued absence of important winger Aminu Umar, who is still condemned to the treatment room.
Experienced winger Yannick Bolasie may be brought into the starting XI for his creative spark, while Tyler Boyd will also be vying for a start as the forward continues to search for a first goal since his summer loan move from Besiktas.
Benfica loanee Gedson Fernandes should again be a key man in midfield, supporting striker Joel Pohjanpalo, who has netted eight league goals since his loan move from Bayer Leverkusen.
Galatasaray possible starting lineup:
Pena; Elabdellaoui, Nelsson, Marcao, Van Aanholt; Pulgar, Antalyali; Babel, Dervisoglu, Feghouli; Gomis
Caykur Rizespor possible starting lineup:
Cetin; Gonul, Holmen, Polck, Sertel; Baiano, Sabo; Bolasie, Fernandes, Sari; Pohjanpalo
We say: Galatasaray 2-1 Caykur Rizespor
While Caykur Rizespor will hope for a boost under their new manager, who will be keen to topple his former club, we ultimately back Galatasaray to get over the line at home to a side lacking quality or momentum.
Despite their struggles for convincing victories, Gala may still come in on a high after their late turnaround last time out, and their superior squad should make it two wins on the bounce.
Top tip
Data Analysis
Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Galatasaray win with a probability of 68.68%. A draw had a probability of 18.8% and a win for Caykur Rizespor had a probability of 12.5%.
The most likely scoreline for a Galatasaray win was 2-0 with a probability of 12.15%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 1-0 (11.27%) and 2-1 (9.66%). The likeliest drawn scoreline was 1-1 (8.95%), while for a Caykur Rizespor win it was 0-1 (4.15%). The actual scoreline of 4-2 was predicted with a 1.5% likelihood. Our team at Sports Mole and our data analysis both correctly predicted that Galatasaray would win this match.
